Hours Until Dawn
by ScribeOfRhapsody
Summary: In an attempt to relax after the worst couple of days ever, Noctis talks Ignis into playing one of his video games. Ignis is a perfectionist. Noctis is amused. Gladio is getting texted live reactions. Prompto is absent since SOMEONE lost his phone. (Contains spoilers for Until Dawn and 49 Hours.)
1. Can you, like, play the game?

**Hey hey!**

 **To OLD readers: Good you see you again, friends! Happy to have you back for some more fun! :D**

 **To NEW readers: Welcome! You're probably here just to read about Ignis being forced to play a video game, so I'll lay the facts out for you. :) YES, this will reference the fic this is sequel to, but I do believe you can enjoy it without reading that one. Just know** **there was a lot emotional trauma in that fic that will be referenced.** **The main things are that...**

 **(SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS )**

 **...Ignis was water boarded and attempted suicide to avoid giving up information. Noctis was shot in the arm and partially deafened. Both boys made their first kills. Ignis has already had one PTSD attack. Okay, now you're set! Enjoy!**

* * *

Ignis looked over the controller, better familiarizing himself with the buttons as he sat back on the couch. Noct was putting the disc into the PlayStation before running around to the other side of the couch and pushing.

"Move your butt for a second." Noct didn't even wait for him to get up before he started shoving the couch forwards.

Ignis moved out of his way. "Is it not close enough?"

"Not for this game." Noct grinned, pulling the blinds closed next and then moving over to the light switch.

"And what, precisely, is this game?" What had he agreed to, he wondered as he took his seat again.

Noct hit the lights, leaving them with only the TV as a source of illumination, and plopped down on the couch next to Ignis. Ignis grabbed a secondary controller and offered it to him, but Noct shook his head.

"One player game."

Ignis frowned. "I had thought you wanted to co-op. Do you intend to sit there and watch me?"

"Yeah."

"Won't that be dull for you?" Not to mention Ignis wasn't entirely confident in his ability to progress in _any_ game without Noct's more experienced guidance.

"Nope. This one's fun to watch."

"…You're rather starting to alarm me, Noct." Ignis stared at him and repeated his earlier question. "What, pray tell, _is_ this game?"

Ignis snuck a glance at the title of the game as it popped up on the screen. _Until Dawn?_ Well, that sounded perfectly charming.

"Okay." Noctis sat up, looking entirely too gleeful. "So, this is a survival game."

Oh. Brilliant. Noct could laugh at him as he constantly reloaded.

"And you don't get to open any saves."

…Or not. "No saves? So you must start from the beginning if you die?"

"Not exactly." Noct sat back and put his arms behind his head. "So, you've got eight main characters, and they can all die or all live depending on the choices you make. So, if you lose one, the game goes on, but with the characters you have left."

Ignis tilted his head. That… actually sounded interesting, depending on how it was done. "And the other characters react accordingly?"

Noctis nodded emphatically. "Oh, yeah. It's super detailed. You missing one clue can change a whole conversation, or get someone killed."

Hmm… Ignis tapped the button to launch the game. "Very well, then. I'll do my best to search for clues and keep everyone alive. What's the difference between Motion Controls and Traditional?"

"Oh, I forgot about that…" Noct squinted thoughtfully. "I've never tried the Motion Controls, so I don't really know."

"Well, seeing as how I'm inexperience with both, I shall try the one you haven't." Perhaps not the best idea when he was supposed to be keeping characters alive, but it might help since he'd never been particularly skilled with the normal controls like Noct and Prompto.

Noctis stared at the remote for the TV, which he'd just picked up. "Hey, uh, Iggy? Why don't you adjust the volume?"

Ignis nearly dropped his controller in an attempt to grab the remote as fast as possible. This was supposed to be a distraction, not a reminder of everything currently wrong with them.

"And how loud should it be for me to get the full experience?" He needed to not draw further focus to Noct's current… ailment.

"Loud as possible without the jump scares blowing your eardrums out."

Ignis raised his eyebrow. "Why am I getting the impression that there will be a lot of those?"

Noct sat back again, definitely trying not to smirk. "Just start the game."

Ignis did so, watching the opening cutscenes play out with some amount of confusion. He had assumed when Noct told him he was supposed to keep the cast alive that the cast would be composed of people he actually _wanted_ to keepalive. Instead, he was witnessing a group of teenagers – whose names he had yet to memorize – perform a rather cruel prank on a girl named Hannah.

"These people are absolutely horrible friends…" Ignis said as Hannah ran crying out the doors of the cabin and into a snowstorm, where the camera had showed a silhouette of a man carrying a machete just a few moments before.

Noct snorted. "Yeah, most of them suck from the start. Depending on the choices you make, they can all end up mostly likable, or they can be the worst people on the planet."

"So far the blonde one and the sister seem to be the only decent ones, but I suppose I'll withhold judgement on the two that are currently inebriated. Even though they are being irresponsible and drinking underage…"

"Yeah, Sam and Beth had nothing to do with the prank, and Josh and Chris were passed out and had no idea any of this was even happening."

"I see. I'll elect to keep those four in particular alive, then."

"What about Hannah?"

"Hm. Seems like she'll be a liability at this point. Likely she'll get the others killed."

Noctis spluttered out a laugh. "No comment."

"Not commenting is in itself a comment– this is a _terrible_ idea. One person following another into the woods in the middle of the night during a snowstorm is asking for something ill to happen without a homicidal man lurking about."

"Well, maybe you should have tried to wake Josh up. It gave you the option to try."

Ignis sent him a flat look, almost missing a quick time event. "I'd rather take my chances alone than someone drunk slowing me down."

On screen, Beth swore several times as something startled her.

Ignis made a face. "The language in this game is rather overboard, is it not?"

"Iggy, I go to high school. Nothing I haven't heard there."

Ignis sighed. "Fair enough." One would think those in Noct's school would be more respectful around their future monarch. "And what is this?"

"Oh, that's a totem. Pick them up and they show you, like, visions of possible outcomes – some good and some bad. If you pay attention, they can kind of guide you."

"Noted." That might be useful.

The totem was labeled as a Death Totem and showed both Hannah and Beth dying from a fall. Well, then. Avoid cliffs?

The screaming started after Ignis had found Hannah. Something with red vision was chasing them and managed to drive them to the edge of a cliff. Of course. And then they fell off the cliff, but Beth managed – in what would have been an impossible feat for even Gladio – to grab not only the ledge, but her sister's hand as well, keeping them both from falling.

The masked figure of whoever was chasing them appeared, reaching for them. Two options appeared: one to drop Hannah and try to save Beth, or to let go entirely to avoid the masked man. Ignis tilted the controller towards his desired option and selected before the timer was even half up.

" _Ignis!_ " Noctis was giving him a rather disturbed look. "You just dropped your twin sister off a cliff!"

Ignis shrugged. "It was her or us both." The branch that Beth was holding broke, making her fall off the cliff and break her spine on a rock below. "…Or us both anyway."

"Yeah, you can't actually save the twins. They just set up the story and get you a feeling for the decision making. No, but seriously – you dropped Hannah."

"She was clearly easily manipulatable and would have been a liability under pressure. Beth was far more capable."

"So… what? You're just gonna try and save the ones you think deserve it?"

"Not at all. I intend to try and save all of them, but if the choice comes between saving someone useful, saving someone who's not, or losing them both, then I will save the one I see as most likely to prevail at a later time."

"Damn, Iggy. That's cold."

"It's a game, it's practical, and I am not overly fond of this therapist…"

"Oh, just wait, he gets worse every time you see him in-between chapters."

* * *

Noctis was trying really hard not to laugh at… well, everything. He knew Ignis was going to overanalyze and rip apart anything he could, but that was honestly more fun than annoying with _Until Dawn_.

"Wait, you mean to tell me they're going back for another unsupervised overnight trip to this cabin after two of their friends went missing there?"

"Yeah, pretty much. To honor the twins' memories and such."

"…Yes, to honor the young woman they treated horribly and got killed. This is no more than them trying to ease their own guilt, aside from the brother and the two who had nothing to do with it, though I suspect they'll feel some amount of guilt as well– did that just say the composer's name is _Graves?_ "

"…I did not notice that before. Wow."

"Amusing coincidence."

"I don't know. If I was making a horror game, I'd totally find devs with names like that just because."

"I'm certain you would, but I doubt that was their motive."

"Yeah, probably not…"

Ignis walked along the path as Sam, scaling the first wall with ease. Ha. He knew Ignis could be good at video games if he tried.

His Advisor froze as the Don't Move tutorial popped up. Yeah, somehow he doubted Ignis was going to have any problems with those, which had been a nightmare for Prompto.

"It actually detects the movement of the controller?"

"Yeah."

"Interesting."

Ignis, of course, chose not to take Chris' phone and look at his messages. Big surprise there. Gladio was the only one who had done that so far.

And, wow, okay, so Ignis was already a pro at the Motion Control's aiming as he had Chris tear up the shooting range. "You know, if I'd known the Motion Controls were like this, Prompto might have had an easier time."

"Oh? And how many characters' lives was he able to preserve?"

Noctis laughed, holding two fingers up.

"And you?" Ignis chose not to shoot the mu.

"Five, though I would have had six if I hadn't sneezed at the exact wrong time."

"Has Gladio played?"

"Yeah. He got the game for me as a birthday present actually."

"And how did he fare?"

"…Well, he intentionally got some of them killed."

"Ah. Why am I not surprised?"

"Yeah, he didn't like Emily, so he shot her when he got the chance."

"You can shoot your own party members?"

"Just… keep playing. You'll see."

"Very well."

The game continued, giving exposition on the Butterfly Effect via Sam and Chris talking before the scene ended and switched over to Jessica as the playing character.

"Wait, Jessica is dating Mike now? Wasn't it Emily in the prologue?"

"Yeah."

"…And Hannah was also interested in him until he used her feelings to humiliate her?"

"Uh-huh."

" _Why_ are all of these women interested him? He seems extremely unlikable thus far. And don't tell me to keep playing, because no matter how much he might develop, they're interested in him _now._ "

"…Yeah, Mike is kind of like a doucheir version of Gladio, but he gets better the more time you spend with him."

A snowball hit beside Jessica, making her jump. Mike approached her, and the two of them began what Noctis would admit was the most horrible scene of flirting that he'd ever seen. Ignis was actually making a disgusted face.

"…I can't say I'll be terribly regretful if I fail to save either of these two. Oh, do I get to hit him in the face with a snowball? Excellent."

Ha! He was _so_ getting into this. And oh wow… yeah, he was destroying Mike in this snowball fight.

"Now, if Michael is Gladio, who are we compared to the cast?"

Oh, that was a hard one. "Hmm, well… despite Chris having the glasses, he's definitely Prompto."

"That fits well, yes." Ignis smirked as Mike tried to kiss Jess and Ignis chose to have her hit him in the face with another snowball instead. "But who does that leave for me?"

"Oh, you're totally Sam. No question." That was obvious.

Ignis shot him a deadpan looked.

"No, seriously, take it as a compliment. She's like the fan favorite. She's _my_ favorite."

Ignis' lips twitched. "I can't imagine why…"

"…What do you mean?"

"Nothing at all."

"Iggy."

"It's nothing, Noct."

" _Spill._ "

Ignis heaved a sigh. "She does bear a decent amount of resemblance to a certain Princess of Tenebrae, Noct."

Noctis snapped his mouth shut, feeling his cheeks flush. He hadn't even thought about that, but… yeah, okay, Sam did look a lot like Luna. And she was a badass and more composed than most of the other characters… which was also like Luna.

Noctis crossed his arms. "Can you, like, play the game?"

"Of course, Highness."

The next between-chapter therapy session started up, and the doctor's office was creepier looking than before. This time, Doctor Hill gave Ignis multiple pairs of images and told him to pick which one he feared more.

Noctis suddenly felt oddly intrusive. He'd known Ignis almost his entire life, and somehow he still didn't know what he was going to choose on most of these. Not that that was really a surprise… Ignis didn't exactly volunteer information up about himself anymore. Hadn't for years. Honestly, this might be the most he'd found out about his friend since before Noctis was a teenager.

Ignis picked men over women – not surprising considering their recent experiences with Loqi and Aranea. He picked crowds over airships – again, not surprising given how much of a security risk crowds were. Then he picked–

Oh.

Ignis hesitated on the drowning and heights choice.

 _Drowning._

Noctis froze. "I… forgot that was in here–"

"It's fine." Ignis answered the question honestly, and the game moved on.

Noctis wracked his brain, trying to think of anything else water-related. It had been a while since he'd played this… He really hoped he wasn't forgetting something worse…

* * *

 **Ahh, yes, Noct… Horror games are SO relaxing…**


	2. Quite seriously

"I am genuinely disturbed that someone wrote this dialogue," Ignis said. He had hoped that Josh was going to be another of the more decent characters, but now he was currently making rather raunchy suggestions about how Chris should sleep with the cast member he had a crush on – Ashley. Ignis firmly chose to make Chris not agree with his friend.

The next step in the game was climbing through a window and hunting around in the dark to get the door open. And getting jump scared by the newborn behemoth that was hiding in the bathroom. Well, at least no one was dead and he'd gotten the lodge open.

…And then Jessica and Emily were suddenly at each other's throats, and Matt – who was Emily's new boyfriend – was under Ignis' control, trying to mitigate the situation. It didn't go well.

Ignis paged over to his relationship status page, seeing that he had an update. He scowled. Currently, Emily and Jessica hated each other and Emily was rather perturbed at Matt for taking Jessica's side over hers in the fight.

This wouldn't do at all. Everyone was going to die if they didn't cooperate, although Ignis only truly cared about keeping Sam and Chris alive so far. Perhaps Ashley. She seemed tolerable enough and played the most minor roll in the prank before. Ignis was still undecided about Josh. The rest were expendable. Which was likely a good thing since Mike and Jessica were now being sent off alone.

Noctis was snickering again as the characters set off to find the guest cabin. "I can't wait to see how you do on all the romances…"

"I'm going to take a guess and say that Gladio got all of them to their fullest?"

"Mm-hm."

"Well, I have no intention of assisting Michael and Jessica, and Matt and Emily in their relationships when they clearly are not healthy influences on each other. However, I will try to keep them on terms well enough that they won't try to kill _each other,_ if possible."

Once he'd done as much as he could to damage Jessica's opinion of Mike, the game switched back to Sam, who was trying to get the hot water working for a bath.

Noctis suddenly tensed again, shooting Ignis a panicked look when Sam turned the water on. "Crap, Iggy, I forgot about that too–"

"It's fine," Ignis assured. "This is hardly realistic enough water to cause any… ill effects."

Noctis' shoulders sagged in relief. "Okay, good."

Seeing that there was no hot water, Ignis had Sam wander around the house and then join Josh, Chris, and Ashley downstairs. Ah. Now this was a much better group without the other four, even with Josh.

"…They're going to have a joke seance. In the lodge where their friends went missing. Is Sam the only truly sensible character in this game?"

"I told you, that's up to your choices."

"Well, I would like to choose not to have a seance, thank you very much."

"…Okay, well, you can't actually do that."

Ignis sighed, having Sam follow Josh so they could fire up the boiler and get her hot water. Josh stopped then, striking up a surprisingly heart-to-heart conversation.

Ignis tilted his head. "Is there a possibility of another romance between these two? They are the only two single members of the cast, and he seems rather more respectful to her than any of the others."

"Umm… I'm not sure if you can get anything romantic with them in the actual game? Prompto and Gladio and I didn't ever get anything, but it's not like we've tried every path. I do remember that later it's implied they were really close during the time skip."

"Ah. I shall elect to encourage them, then. She appears to be a good influence on him. Perhaps teach him some manners."

Noctis snickered again. "What about Chris and Ashley?"

"They seemed suited enough for one another. I'll give them a nudge towards each other when I can." He scowled yet again. "Are there not any lights in this massive and expensive mansion?" Why were they using flashlights in the basement instead?

"…That is a good question. I don't know why they don't use the lights, because Mike turns them on later in the game."

"Just ruining their eyesight unnecessarily, then?"

"Pretty much. Gotta make sure it's more spooky, I guess."

Ignis spotted a baseball bat in the basement and had Sam pick it up. After a brief discussion, Sam handed the bat to Josh, who set it down outside the closet Ignis had found it in.

"Ahh, excellent. I take it I now have access to that as a weapon at a later date?"

Noctis nodded. "Yeah. Prompto and I didn't even see it there, but Gladio managed to get it. Though it didn't really help him in the long run…"

Ignis continued, starting up the boiler and succeeding in hitting the quick time event for giving Josh a high five.

"Seriously?" Noct deadpanned. "That's, like, the fastest prompt in the game. _All_ of us missed that. I can't believe you say you aren't good at games – you just don't put the effort into it normally."

"You're welcome to your theories, Noct." Yes, perhaps he could have given the few video games he'd played in the past a bit more concentration, but usually his mind was abuzz with all the duties he _wasn't_ doing while he humored the others by playing with them in the first place. He didn't have any duties currently. He was free to lose himself in… _fun_ like he rarely had before. And he was having fun, surprisingly.

Josh and Sam's flirting was interrupted by some noises in the basement. Ignis pondered for a moment before sending Sam to check it out.

"…Did you just send Sam to check that out alone?"

"Is that a particularly bad decision?"

"Well… I don't know, none of us ever had them split up there. Safety in numbers? I thought you wanted her to live."

"I do. If she's attacked, Josh is still near the bat and can come to her aid."

"…I'm pretty sure you're thinking about this more logically than the devs did."

A moment later, Sam was jump scared by a masked figure that chased her and Josh back up the stairs. Without the bat. Which turned out to be a positive thing, seeing as the masked man was Chris playing another joke.

Ignis sighed deeply. "He is most definitely Prompto."

Noctis _hmm_ ed. "I don't actually think any of them fit my personality, really…"

"If not in personality, then perhaps in action?"

"Maybe…? I'd have to think about it."

"For example, is there a line of actions that leads to one of them spending most of the game asleep in an odd place?"

"…That would make me Jessica."

"There you have it, then."

"What? No! I don't want to date Gladio!"

"…Of all the things, _that_ is what you found most deplorable about that arrangement?" Ignis clicked over to the relationship status tab, pausing the scene so he wouldn't miss anything while Noct was complaining.

"Uhh, yeah, pretty much– holy _crap._ How did you even _do_ that?"

Ignis arched an eyebrow, rather pleased as Josh's opinion on Sam skyrocketed to be the highest in the game so far. "I can be charming when I wish. I'll have to use that to get Jessica and Michael back on better terms than I left them."

"Wait, what? I thought you were trying to break them up!"

"I was, but that was before they were you and Gladio."

"…You're not actually…"

"As your Advisor, it's part of my duty to see that you and your Shield are on good terms."

"I'm not Jessica!"

"You said yourself she's the closest. Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep you alive and happy."

"Ignis, _I don't want to sleep with Gladio!_ "

"Now, Noct, I do believe you said this was going to be about the choices I chose to make."

"…I hate you." Noctis crossed his arms. "Can we, like, go back to admiring how Sam looks like Luna or something?"

"Evidently, it appears we have a seance to perform. I'm certain this will go well…"

* * *

Noct swallowed a laugh as Josh stormed off at the end of the seance, yelling at Ash and Chris about how messing with him after his sisters' deaths was not cool. The scene itself wasn't funny, though – it was Ignis' reaction. His Advisor was clearly irritated, no doubt rethinking every choice he'd made in that section and trying to find out where he went wrong.

It was… so damn thrilling to see Ignis showing emotion over a video game after all these years. So… _rewarding._ He almost wished Prompto and Gladio were here to witness this historic event.

…Then again, he'd have to listen to Gladio laughing at his misery as Ignis proceeded to have Mike fully seduce Jessica. This was so painful to watch again. It was one thing when Gladio had been playing, but it was just… frankly, it was disturbing to see Ignis making the characters flirt like this. It was so not like him. With Sam and Josh, they had been innocently flirting. Jessica and Mike couldn't make it two feet without an innuendo. Or seven.

Really, all Noctis wanted right now was for Ignis to jump at one of the jump scares. Just _one_ of them. So far he hadn't even blinked at any of them except for when Mike had jumped out at Emily and Matt near the beginning.

Oh, oh. There was the part with the injured dear. Fun.

As Noctis suspected, Ignis chose to mercy kill the deer, which resulted in Mike somehow pulling the thing's entire head off in a very over-the-top, gory display. And then the deer's body was ripped into the dark, making Jessica and Mike flee for their lives.

Son of a…

Noctis scowled as Ignis hit all of the quick time events flawlessly again. Seriously, what the hell? He'd always been, like, average at absolute best before. Noctis was so roping him into more games from now on. He was liking this well enough – maybe he could get him into _Beyond: Two Souls_ and they could play that together. That would be _fun_. If they did that, Noctis was so going to be Aiden and he was going to cause as much chaos as he could.

"…Hey, Specs?" Noctis asked, barely able to hear his own voice, which was still super weird.

"Yes, Noct?" Ignis asked as he hunted around the cabin for matches and a blanket now that Mike and Jessica were once again safe.

"…You're having fun, right?"

"…As much as I might be loath to admit it, yes. I'm actually enjoying this quite a bit."

Well, that was good. "So, would you maybe… never mind." Stupid idea. Ignis didn't do games. This was a special occasion, and things would be back to normal soon.

Ignis glanced over to him. "What is it, Noct?"

"It's nothing."

Ignis clicked over to the relationship tab, pausing the game. "Use your words, Noct. You don't need to withhold them with me, particularly not after the last few days."

Noctis crossed his arms, feeling awkward. "It's not important… I was just… wondering if you might want to do this more often. Like, on a regular basis, maybe?"

Ignis blinked, looking surprised. "You actually wish for me to?"

"Well, yeah. Only if you want to! But like… when Prompto and I play, a lot of the time you're just hovering in the kitchen, even when you're not really doing anything."

Ignis' expression was one of thoughtful confusion. "I… had thought you'd wish for me not to intrude. You always seemed so much more at ease with him, I wanted you to enjoy your time with him."

"What, like I wouldn't enjoy myself if you were with us?" Noctis joked. His smile dropped when Ignis didn't say anything. " _Ignis._ You're my oldest friend. After all the time we spent together as kids, why would you think I don't want you around?"

Ignis shook his head. "I may be your oldest friend, Noct, but I haven't been your closest one for quite some while."

Noctis frowned. "So, what? You think I replaced you with Prompto?"

"Not intentionally, but… you can hardly deny it." Noctis started to protest, and Ignis held up a hand. "We were very close as children, Noct, but our responsibilities caused us to start drifting apart in recent years."

"Ignis, I didn't replace you! I never wanted you to leave when Prompto and I were hanging out! That's ridiculous!"

"Is it, Noct?" Ignis demanded, and there was… something in his eyes Noctis couldn't quite figure out. "Because despite what you seem to realize, being in the other room doesn't make me deaf."

Noctis could feel the blood drain from his face. "Iggy, I didn't really mean…"

"Mean _what,_ Noct?" Ignis' voice sounded raw, emotional in a way Noctis couldn't ever remember hearing before. "Your words about how I have a perpetual stick up my arse? The ones about being worse than a nagging mother? Or perhaps you meant the time you mimicked one of the lectures that I only give to try to _help_ you?"

Six. Noctis didn't know what to say. He'd hurt Ignis with his stupid jokes and sarcastic mutters. He'd hurt him bad, and Ignis hadn't said a word about it until now. Hadn't acted any differently. Because that's how he was. Always constant. Always reliable. Except in the one area Noct wanted the most.

"Shit, Iggy…" Noctis pressed a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. "When I said that… I was angry, okay? I was bitter. Yeah, Prompto and I got close quick. We got close because he wasn't a constant reminder of my callings and duties. Because he just treated me like his friend – the way you used to!"

Ignis scowled. "I'm your Advisor, Noct. It's my duty to–"

"Now, see, that's just it!" Noctis jabbed a finger at him. "You're my _Advisor,_ it's your _duty._ You got older and you started doing your _duties._ You grew up faster than me, and somehow you decided that both our childhoods were over. _I_ was still a kid! All I wanted was my friend to play with me again, and instead you were sitting in suits and taking notes for council meetings when you weren't even tall enough to sit at the table properly!" Noctis looked at the couch, blinking rapidly. "Gladio and I weren't close then. I hadn't met Prompto yet. Luna and I were as separated then as we are now. My dad was busy, like always. You weren't just my friend, Iggy… you were the _only_ person I had then." Noctis sniffed, looking up to meet Ignis' gaze. "Do you have any idea how much it hurt when you started to treat me as your duty rather than a friend?"

Ignis tore his gaze away, and Noctis could have sworn he saw a glimmer of moisture in the light of the TV. "I never intended… You were never _just_ my duty, Noct. Everything I've done, I've only done to try and aid you. I didn't know that you felt I was pulling away."

"Yeah… well, it was kind of hard not to when you started lecturing me on keeping my room clean when I was trying to build a fort for us to play in." Noctis sniffed again. "Honestly, Ignis, I don't even know what you do out of duty and what's out of friendship anymore."

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose. "They aren't two separate entities, Noct. I took an oath to protect you, but I took it because I wanted to protect you as a friend as well. The attack that nearly killed you… I wanted to be ready should anything try to hurt you like that again."

"Which brought you to trying to kill yourself?" Noctis demanded. "You feel like telling me the motive behind _that?_ "

Ignis' shoulders tensed further. "My motive was to save you. You, and Gladio, and Prompto, and your father, and Gladio's father, and Prompto's parents, and my uncle, and the Glaive, and the Guard. To save the Citadel lawn caretaker, to save that teenaged girl who's always in the coffee shop studying, or even to save the idiot who keeps trying to take my bloody parking spot! Insomnia, Noct! Lucis. The information I had could have lost the war – lost you everything you have ever cared about! I chose to put the lives of those I care for above my own – _especially_ your life!"

"I understand that!" He did. Of course he did. "What I don't understand is how you're so accepting of that as the norm for you. If your life has to revolve around me, fine, but I want you to have a life, damn it! I know we don't get to lead normal lives, but can't we just be people before we're our titles? Can we just… can't we occasionally have a day where we can experience what this stupid war is trying to protect?"

Ignis sighed softly, suddenly looking exhausted. "I suppose I could free up an evening or so a week if you'd like. I could… fix a meal that requires less effort and indulge in another pastime such as this?"

Noctis blinked. "Seriously?"

"Hm." Ignis nodded. "I'd say it's time we mend this gap. It might take some effort, but it should be doable. Perhaps you can recommend another game after this one?"

A grin so big split Noct's face that it made his cheeks hurt. "I already had one in mind. It's two player and kind of like this with the whole choices thing."

"Well, then… I look forward to it." Ignis looked back at the TV. "Noct… you know I will always be here as a friend if nothing else, correct?"

"Yeah… I mean, after the last couple of days… I know you care, Iggy. I just… kind of wish you'd show it like a normal person sometimes instead of trying to get yourself killed to protect me."

"I'll elect to do both."

Noctis snorted. "Of course you will. Overachiever."

"Yes, yes, I know… Now, I do believe I was having Gladio find you some atmospheric mood lighting…"

Noctis groaned loudly. "Oh come on! Seriously?"

"Oh, yes. Quite seriously." He looked so pleased with himself.

"Why?" Nothing he could have done deserved this.

"Why not?"

"Hey, that's my line!" That was cheating.

"Oh? And haven't I taught you to share?"

Really? "Ughhhh, you suck, you know that?"

"Yes, I believe you've mentioned that a few times in the past."

Damn that stupid smirk. Whatever. This was so worth the torment.


	3. Allow me my decisions!

Ignis rubbed his eyes before he started the game again. His time with Noct was having some rather unforeseen bonding, but Ignis was glad. Clearly they'd both had things they needed to say but never intended to actually tell the other.

All these years, Ignis had felt frustrated and hurt at Noct's lack of effort and how he didn't seem to care about all the extra work Ignis had done for him. Ignis had never imagined Noct was the one who felt pushed away by _him._

He would not let that happen again. He would rectify this. Noct may have been a Prince, but he was right – he needed time to be a person as well. Most teenaged boys grew up with a healthy number of friends. Noct only had four true ones, and one of them was in another country. Ignis would still make sure Noct was preparing to take the throne, but he would _also_ ensure that Noct had time to be the seventeen-year-old boy that he was. Perhaps Ignis would even have a word with Gladio later, too.

His attention was brought back to the game as things started becoming… far less verbal and more physical between Mike and Jessica.

"Noct." Ignis sent his friend a look. "Exactly how mature does this game yet? I had assumed we wouldn't actually witness–"

"I really wouldn't worry about it, Specs."

A window shattered right then, making the characters break apart.

Noctis grinned. "Well? You're playing my Shield, aren't you? Go check it out!"

"As you wish, Highness. Although that Marlboro-like grin is not making me wish to pursue this investigation."

"Well, too bad. You have to. Gladio has to protect me."

"Yes, I suppose you aren't in the best condition to defend yourself considering you're in your flower-print underwear only."

"Oh, and whose fault is _that?_ "

"I didn't make you so easy to seduce."

"…Screw you, Specs. Just check the damn window already."

"As the lady wishes."

Noctis pursed his lips and flipped Ignis off.

"I say…"

"I didn't _say_ anything, so you can't tell me to watch my language–"

"Oh dear… What _are_ you doing?" Ignis watched as Jessica stormed outside to yell at the other cast members, who she were assuming was playing a prank on her and Mike this whole time. "This can't end well…"

By the Six, the dialogue in this was… mature. Jessica certainly had a way with words as she shouted at full volume into the darkness. Ignis squinted as the killer's view on Jessica was shown. "Ahhh, so he sees movement…"

"What the– how?" Noct demanded. "How did you figure that out that quickly?"

Ignis tightened his grip on the controller, expecting a prompt at any moment. "Is it not obvious? The only parts of her illuminated in his vision are the parts of her that are moving."

Jessica stormed back inside, slamming the door behind her. It was less than two seconds later that she was dragged screaming in terror through the door's small window.

The screen went black.

"…I'm going to assume we'll go back to them soon so I can chase down your unrealistically strong abductor."

"Yeah. And I'm so holding you to the fact that you promised to keep me alive."

"I'll accept that responsibility. But it appears I have further investigation to preform with Prompto and Ashley first."

After a few minutes of searching around for clues, Noctis let out an overly dramatic groan that was more startling than any of the jump scares thus far. "Do you have to find _every_ clue? This game is supposed to take, like, eight hours for a play through, not twelve."

"And here I thought you'd appreciate the poetical effect of us actually playing until dawn."

Noctis gave him a flat look. "Can you hurry up? I'm being dragged through the snow in my underwear, and I'd really like not to be."

"Well, that's rather selfish. I need to keep Prompto alive as well."

"Chris– _Prompto_ isn't in danger right now!"

The second the words left Noctis' mouth, Josh's screaming could be heard from a nearby room.

Ignis narrowed his eyes. He refused to let Josh die thinking that his friends had just tried to play another horrible joke on him about his sisters' deaths. He'd put actual effort into driving up his relationships' stats, too. There was no point in that if Josh died now.

As Ashley tried to aid Josh, she was pulled into the other room as well. Ignis jerked the controller forwards, making Chris smash into the door to break through it.

"Getting kind of into this, aren't you?"

"Do be quiet, Noct, I'm trying to get Prompto to save my love interest."

"…What?"

"You said I was Sam, did you not? I thought we were trying to build their relationship–"

Well. A man in a clown mask had just punched Chris in the face and knocked him out.

"…Now that's unfortunate," Ignis muttered. "But I now know one of my theories must be correct.

"Oh, yeah? What you got?"

"Either the killer can teleport, or there's more than one of them."

"Why would you think that?"

"…Perhaps because you were only just dragged through the window? That cabin was a fair distance away."

"Could be a time skip between scenes."

"You're not going to sway me, Noct. I looked at the timestamps at the beginning of both scenes."

"Ooooof course you did. All right, Specs, let's see how that smart attitude holds up now that you're out of the safe chapters."

* * *

Of course, before he could get the satisfaction of hopefully watching Ignis fail at saving someone, there was the usual between-chapter therapy session with Doctor Hill.

"This office worsens every time we come back to it."

"Uh, yeah. Big time." Noctis sat forwards a bit in his chair. There were no jump scares here, and he was pretty curious about what Ignis would pick. This was the session where the game asked the player to pick which character out of each set of two that the player liked best, and then it weeded it down to making the player pick out their least favorite.

The first pair was Sam and Josh.

Ignis scowled. "I protest to this. I've grown to like both of them."

"Too bad. You gotta pick."

Ignis looked irritated, but he eventually settled on Sam.

Perfect. The opportunity Noctis had been waiting for. "Well, that's a little egotistical, don't you think?" he teased as Ignis didn't hesitate to pick Matt over Emily and Chris over Ashley. "Picking yourself over your love interest? For shame, Spec– hey! What the hell?"

Ignis was definitely smirking as he selected Mike over Jessica. "My mistake, Noct. My hand must have slipped."

"…Yeah. Sure. You _accidentally_ rolled your wrist a hundred and eighty degrees to the left and _accidentally_ pressed X at the same time. I can't believe you just picked Gladio over me– oh come on! _Seriously?_ She's not even someone we know!"

Ignis was smirking proudly now as he selected Josh over Emily and then _Ashley over Jessica_. He quirked an eyebrow at Noctis as the game told him to choose his least favorite: Jessica or Emily.

Noctis glared at him. "Don't you dare."

Ignis lazily rolled his wrist left and right without hitting X. "Are you going to keep complaining?"

"Ignis." Noctis kept glaring. "I swear, if you chose that bi– brat over me, I will kick your arm on the most important Don't Move prompt."

"Oh, so you're threatening me now?"

"Hell yes, I am. It's a great strategy."

"…Noct, I'm beginning to think I might need to work with you further on matters of diplomacy."

"Make the choice, Specs. Just make it carefully."

Ignis chuckled. "To be honest, Noct, there's nothing you have ever done or ever could do to make yourself more irritating than the atrocity that is this character, so your threats are not needed." He finally selected Emily, and the session came to an end.

"…I still can't believe you picked Gladio over me," Noctis said as the game loaded the next section. "And Ashley!"

"Oh, do relax. Here, I'll hopefully make it up to you by having Gladio rescue you."

The scene had dropped Ignis back as Mike, who was tearing out of the cabin with a rifle after Jessica and her abductor. Ignis went suspiciously silent, staring at the screen like… well, like an actual gamer during a tense part of a game.

"You all right there, Iggy?"

"I'm well, but you might not be if you distract me, and I have every intention of getting you through this night…"

Like before, Ignis was able to ace all of the quick time events, and he also chose the fastest paths. Cool. Jessica would live, then. Although… it would have been fun to harass Ignis about getting him killed for the rest of the game. Jessica wouldn't be totally out of the woods after this either.

"…Did I succeed or fail?" Ignis asked distractedly as he took aim at the abductor, who was in the shadows above the elevator shaft Jessica had just fallen into.

"Oh, you'll know when someone dies in this game. They make it pretty obvious."

"Ah. Like that deer, I imagine."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well then, I'd say Gladio's main duty is a success for the time being. All that's left is pursuing your attacker while you… ah. She's unconscious for a while, isn't she? That's what you meant earlier?"

"Yeah… I'm… kind of out of the picture for a while."

"Out of the picture means safe. I find that agreeable. Now, I do believe I need to lead Prompto and the other two out of their danger."

Yes… yes he did. Or he could try. Poor Josh. Noct had a pretty good idea how this was going to go. Poor _Ignis,_ really. He'd been getting attached to his love interest.

Noctis tried to resist bobbing his leg up and down as Ignis took his sweet time looking for clues. The game was really kicking into gear now.

Finally, Chris entered the shack and the door locked behind him, leaving him stuck in a room with a lever while he could see into another room where Josh and Ashley were tied up. In front of a saw.

Ignis' jaw set slightly to the side as he studied the scene intently. "Choose between them? I'd thought I was supposed to be able to save them all?"

"You can. If you make the right choices."

Ignis pursed his lips. "So, I made a wrong choice at some point in the past and now I'm left with _this_ choice?"

Noctis grinned at his irritation. "What's it gonna be, Iggy? Your love interest or Prompto's?"

Ignis sighed. "With regret, Prompto will have to live on without his crush."

Noctis tsk'ed. "That's cold, Iggy. Real cold."

Ignis didn't seem terribly regretful. "Josh's family owns this mountain. Romantic interests aside, he's a far more valuable asset."

Noctis was trying really hard not to laugh as Ignis selected his choice. He held his breath and stared at Ignis, not wanting to miss his reaction as the saw headed for Josh anyway.

"What? No! That's not what I wanted at all!"

Noctis burst out laughing, unable to keep it in anymore as Chris also protested, saying that wasn't what he meant either. "Really? You trusted the psycho to actually play fair?"

"I expected the game that keeps hammering me on the head about _my_ decisions to allow me my decisions!"

Oh, man. Ignis looked _so_ miffed. Like he was absolutely going to pulverize the psycho when he finally found the guy. His expression seemed to grow more and more irritated as Josh got sawed in half and Chris and Ashley fled the shed, terrified and sobbing.

"That… _man_ is going to rue the day he decided to target the Washington family," Ignis borderline spat.

Noctis was attempting to muffle his laughter so Ignis could hear the dialogue when Chris and Ashley ran into Emily and Matt, but he wasn't having much luck. This was just too good.

"…I am going to have to commend this game on the character reactions in this particular section, though. Chris and Ashley are acting realistically traumatized, although I would have preferred to see how Josh's reactions would have played out since he's already had to deal with the death of his sisters– oh, bloody hell, do I have to play as these two after the next therapy session? I don't care about either of them…"

Noctis snorted. "Admit it – you just hate Emily."

"Well, basically, yes. And I would much rather be hunting the other killer down as Gladio at the moment."

"Careful what you wish for. This next section is eternal."

"Oh, so I do get to play as Gladio next?"

"Yeah. Talk to your doctor first, though."

Ignis eyebrows shot up as Doctor Hill asked if the night was going the way he hoped. "It most certainly is _not…_ "

* * *

 **lol Poor Ignis. He tried so hard.**


	4. Crying While Laughing Emoji

Noctis had been right about this section – it was quite long. And nerve wracking. Ignis was determined not to get anyone else killed so soon, and he was definitely trying not to get the characters labeled as them killed. He felt as though he had an obligation to see those four in particular to safely.

He sighed under his breath as a wolf's shadow stalked past him. "Wolves, psychopaths, ghosts… Are there any more things on this mountain trying to kill me?"

Noctis snorted. "You have… no idea."

"Oh, that's very reassuring. Wonderful." And what on Eos was that noise? Oh… oh dear. "I… am not even going to ask."

"…You're not gonna check that out?"

Ignis gave him a flat look, having Mike walk straight past the detached arm that was hooked to some machine on a table that was making the arm swing back and forth. "Am I going to touch the rotting arm that is clearly some form of trap? No. No I am not, thank you very much."

"Oh, come onnnn! I promise it will not get you killed! Really!"

Ignis raise an eyebrow. "Why do you want me to touch it?"

"Just do it! Come on!"

Ignis reluctantly maneuvered Mike back over to the table to examine the arm.

Noctis burst out laughing again as Mike started screaming in pain, his hand caught in a daemon trap.

Ignis sighed. "Was this really necessary?"

" _Yes._ Totally necessary!"

Ignis sighed again, deeper this time. "Well, then, it's your fault Gladio now has to live with a few less fingers."

Noctis' laughter cut off. "Wait, you're actually cutting off his fingers?"

Ignis selected the option. "Yes, I am. I doubt trying to pry the trap open would be very effective."

A couple minutes later, and Mike was sporting a couple less fingers and being chased by the wolf from earlier. Fortunately, he escaped without losing any _other_ limbs.

Finally, he made it into the locked room he'd been searching for the key for… and was immediately jump scared by the second wolf. Remembering the game's warning that sometimes doing nothing was the right thing, thinking back on the Fortune Totem he'd found earlier, and doubting Mike could take on a wolf with his bare hands anyway, Ignis chose not to punch the creature.

Well. Now he had a wolf as a friend. That was interesting. And even better, he managed to find a gun before the section ended with Mike diving away from a combustible barrel he'd accidentally set fire near.

Then the scene cut to Matt and Emily.

"Look, your favorite people," Noctis said.

Ignis refrained from rolling his eyes and moved on with the game, which consisted of a lot of bickering between the two. "There's certainly animosity between these two and very little trust. _Why_ are they in a relationship?"

"Well, in Gladio's game, they didn't fight much at all. He… basically made Matt a jerk who picked a fight with Mike, and Emily finds that kind of thing attractive."

"…So the choices are to make him a decent person, or to have them in a more agreeable relationship? You can't do both?"

"Uh. Not really."

How absurd. "Why is it the only couple I truly supported in this game was literally killed off despite my direct choices to try and save it?"

Noctis looked… oddly pleased. "Oh my gosh, you are actually shipping people? I feel so accomplished. And what's wrong with Ashley and Chris?"

Shipping? What on Eos did that mean in the context of video games and characters? "Nothing's particularly wrong with the relationship, Ashley is simply… not the type I'd expect to survive these sorts of events."

"…Meaning you're gonna try to ditch her again if she holds anyone back."

Ignis shrugged faintly. "Well, I've already lost hope of saving them all. My focus will be on the four of us from here on out."

"Yeaaah, okay. We'll see how that turns out."

"…Why are we going to a cliff? This is clearly not the way to the radio tower. And why the bloody hell are a herd of garula trying to push them off? I've done nothing to the animal population. Leave me alone…"

"…I don't think there's anything I regret right now more than not recording this. Maybe I can get the–"

"Do not even think about it."

* * *

And here they were. Yet another section Noctis was very much looking forward to. "Well, Iggy, _you_ wanted to face the guy. Here's your chance."

There was a scary glimmer of glee behind Ignis' eyes as Sam appeared onscreen. That fell away, however, when he spotted the psycho lurking directly behind Sam while she was in the bath and listening to her music.

Oh, crap. The water again. "Chill. He's not gonna attack her here."

Ignis' shoulders slackened noticeably, and he blinked, shaking his head and refocusing on the game as the psycho left the room and then Sam got out of the bath.

"For Astral's sake, he took her clothing? Wonderful." He left the bathroom, and Sam started yelling at her friends, thinking this was another prank. "Perhaps I can strangle him with this towel…"

"Kinky."

"Noct!" Ignis shot him a look, sounding appalled.

"Specs, we're teenaged guys and your character is a naked chick at the moment – count yourself lucky there's only been one joke like that so far."

"Don't spoil my revenge, Noct. I'm trying to enjoy this section."

"Revenge? Wow, we're straight-up calling it revenge?"

"He killed my two best friends and my love interest, I'd say revenge is well in order, yes."

"Well, go strangle him with your towel, then. Follow the arrow balloons he left."

With the game leaving him no other choice, Ignis did have Sam follow the arrow-painted balloons to the theater. The psycho locked the doors, taunting her over some speakers before playing the video of when Josh got cut in half.

Ignis made a noise Noctis couldn't quite decipher. "Now he's just rubbing it in… Come out of your hiding hole, you manipulative– ah! There you are."

The psycho gave Sam a few seconds to run and then burst through the door. Ignis didn't hesitate to lob a vase at him before running out of the room. "Where's the basement – I need that bloody bat!" Ignis yet again aced the quick time events, making it to the basement and hiding near the bat. "Aha! Right where I left you…"

Noctis winced in sympathy for the psycho as Ignis had Sam clobber him with the baseball bat before running on.

"That was for Joshua, you gormless chav!"

Noctis stifled his laughter. Wow. The irony of this was strong. And so, so good. He really was tempted to put his phone on speaker and let Prompto listen in, but he knew Ignis would kill him and Prompto still had school in the morning. …And Prompto no longer had a phone, come to think of it, since Noct hadn't gotten his back.

Sam continued running, escaping her pursuer at every turn until she was able to lock a door she went through.

Noctis grinned behind his hand again. Ignis was going to be _so_ pissed when he found out Sam had no way to avoid being captured here–

"What… the… hell?" Noctis gawked as Ignis hid, nailed the prompt to turn off his flashlight in time, and completed a Don't Move prompt while the psycho was nearby. The psycho swore, stalking away. "How did you… I didn't even know you _could_ escape him there! Gladio hid, and he still got found!"

Ignis was looking annoyingly pleased with himself. "You're supposed to be the expert – you tell me."

Noctis scowled, pulling out his phone to Moogle search the answer. "I will! Gimme a second!"

Ignis' pleased look fell as the Doctor Hill session ended and the scene jumped back to Matt and Emily. "…I am sorely tempted to make a terrible decision on purpose as to not have to play as them anymore, but I fear that might have repercussions for the rest of the cast."

Noctis snorted. "No comment."

"I do suppose getting to the radio tower and calling for help is important." Ignis chose not to hit the garula with the axe Matt had, and he and Emily made it past them without further incident. Ignis yawned as they walked into the tower.

"Sleepy or bored with these two?"

"Both," Ignis admitted. "How far are we into this game, anyway?"

Noctis looked up from his phone. "What is this, Chapter 6? Little over halfway, I think. Why, you wanna call it a night?"

Ignis shook his head. "I intend to finish this, I was merely curious."

Noctis suspected that had more to do with Ignis just not wanting to sleep than being that devoted to the game, but he didn't say anything. He couldn't blame him. Noctis didn't want to sleep either. …Not that playing _this_ game was really going to make them want to sleep either.

Noctis snickered, remembering how when Prompto had played the game, Noctis had tripped on Prompto's shoe on the way back from the bathroom and the noise had made the blond scream bloody murder. Best Noctis had ever gotten him, and it wasn't even intentional.

"Ah-ha! Okay… Gladio shot the mu at the beginning, so hiding didn't work for him."

"What does that action have to do with Sam escaping?"

"Well, if you shoot it, the animals are angry with you and Sam gets attacked by a bird, giving her a head wound. That head wound reopens while Sam is trying to escape, and the psycho follows the blood trail to Sam."

"…That is a rather impressive chain of rippling events."

"Right? I had no idea that was a thing."

Ignis cringed as Emily tried to get help over the radio. "This woman's existence is a continued assault on my eardrums."

"Agreed. She's annoying as hell, but she is a badass later."

"…I'll believe that statement when I witness it myself. Oh dear… this escalated quickly."

Unable to break through the tower door, the person pursuing Matt and Emily cut the tower lines, making it fall over. For the first in the game, Ignis missed a quick time event, resulting in Emily getting smacked by something.

"…Was that on purpose?"

There was a very slight smirk on Ignis' lips. "Perhaps… She'll live, won't she?"

"You didn't know that."

"Somehow I doubt her fate hung on one particular prompt."

"Uh. You may have been right about that this time, Iggy, but that will seriously get you flat-out dead later. Longer you go, less forgiving it is."

"Noted."

The fallen tower sank below ground, and Ignis scowled again as the scene changed, yet still followed Matt and Emily. "We're _still_ following these two? For Astrals' sake…"

Emily was about to fall into a pit of unknowable depth, and Ignis was in control of Matt as he tried to reach her. And yet… Emily was still being shrill and annoying.

Ignis definitely hesitated when there was a choice to save her or jump to safety.

"What's it gonna be, Specs?" Noctis teased.

Ignis sighed for about the thousandth time that night, choosing to try and save her. Emily got more shrill and annoying, bringing up her and Matt's relationship problems _right then_ , and the tower dropped further, on the verge of crumbling completely. Again, Ignis was offered the same choice.

"It's almost as though the game wants me to try and get her killed…" Ignis noted, looking almost physically pained as he chose to save her yet again.

The tower still fell, but Matt managed to jump to a ledge just in time.

"Given the lack of gore, am I to assume that she's still alive?"

"Yeah." Noctis lowered his voice, muttering, "But Matt might not be for long…"

Ignis tilted his head. "Come again?"

"I said nothing."

Matt was suddenly grabbed, being dragged through the dirt by someone not clearly shown by the camera. A brief chance to aim at the attacker appeared, and Ignis took it, shooting whoever it was with the flare gun he'd acquired earlier. The attacker ran off, leaving Matt recovering alone in the mines as the scene shifted away from him.

"Nice, Specs!" Noctis clapped him on the shoulder.

"Did I just avoid a death?"

"Yeah! And that's a hard one – Prompto and I both lost Matt there."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, we never found the Guidance Totem that told them to give the flare gun to Matt, so the killer just… mopped the floor with him, to say the least. Gladio just straight-up ditched Emily, so he avoided the whole thing."

"Hm. And you criticized the time I was taking searching for clues."

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Specs, if you actually took that long looking around for stuff in a real situation, all of us would be dead because you were busy searching every corner of the map while we were all murdered."

"Noct, there are _many_ things I would not be doing if this were a real situation… Ah! Back to Prompto and… unfortunately Ashley instead of Josh."

"You aren't going to let that go, are you?"

"No. I made it rather clear who I wanted to keep alive, and the game ignored that."

Noctis sat back on the couch, yawning. "Well, wake me when the psycho shows up…"

Ignis glared at him. "Are you serious? You intended to sleep now?"

Noctis shrugged. "I was kidding, but this section _is_ long and pretty boring after thet first three times."

"Well, as this was your idea, I'm going to have to insist that you endure it with me until the very end."

"Fiiiine. But for the love of my sanity, can you please use the walk faster button?"

"You mean the _saunter_ button?"

"…Yeah, that. Wow… that's really accurate. I'm never gonna un-see that now, thanks."

Noctis decided to play on his phone instead, shooting Gladio a text on the off chance that he was awake.

Apparently he was, since the reply was almost instantaneous.

 **Gladio:** Ignis is doing WHAT?

 **Noctis:** Playing video games.

 **Gladio:** What did you get him to play?

 **Noctis:** Until Dawn. :Smirking Emoji:

 **Gladio:** Seriously?

 **Noctis:** Yeah. He actually agreed pretty easily. Guess he needs something to focus on that isn't work.

 **Gladio:** So, who's still alive so far?

 **Noctis:** -_- Like everyone.

 **Noctis:** He's been holding out on us.

 **Noctis:** He is stupid good at this game.

 **Noctis:** Only prompt he's missed was on purpose.

 **Gladio:** Why?

 **Noctis:** He let Emily get smacked by something.

 **Gladio:** :Crying While Laughing Emoji: Think he'll shoot her later if he gets the chance?

 **Noctis:** I'm not sure?

 **Noctis:** Like, I thought that would be too dark for him, but he's getting weirdly intense about this whole thing.

 **Noctis:** I don't even know what he's gonna do anymore.

 **Noctis:** Apart from trying to get you to seduce me.

 **Gladio:** …

 **Gladio:** …the hell?

 **Noctis:** Yeah, so apparently I'm Jessica, you're Mike, Prompto's Chris, and Ignis is Sam.

 **Gladio:** …okay, the rest of them I get, but why are you the slutty blonde chick?

 **Noctis:** Because of the amount of time she spends asleep, according to Ignis.

 **Gladio: :** Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji:

 **Noctis:** Oh shut it.

 **Gladio:** :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji:

 **Noctis:** really

 **Gladio:** :Crying While Laughing Emoji: :Crying While Laughing Emoji:

 **Noctis:** ITS NOT THAT FUNNY

 **Gladio:** :Crying While Laughing Emoji:

 **Noctis:** -_-

 **Gladio:** I'm sad I'm missing this, honestly.

 **Gladio:** But it's great you guys are winding down with…

 **Gladio:** …

 **Gladio:** I was gonna say 'normal stuff' but that's not normal for Iggy at all.

 **Noctis:** It might be from now on?

 **Noctis:** I got him to agree to maybe hang out like this more regularly?

 **Gladio:** …

 **Gladio:** …should I tell someone he needs a shrink?

 **Noctis:** No, seriously.

 **Noctis:** He like actually TALKED to me for the first time since I was like 8.

 **Gladio:** …Like you two just up and spat it out or…?

 **Noctis:** Yeaaahhh no. We were fighting.

 **Gladio:** Figured.

 **Gladio:** But you got stuff worked out?

 **Noctis:** Yeah. I think we were both too drained to hold back like our fights before.

 **Gladio:** …what kind of fight are we talking about here, Noct?

 **Noctis:** :Eye Roll Emoji: He's not you, dumbass.

 **Noctis:** Just verbal

 **Gladio:** So you guys fought and now Iggy suddenly likes video games?

 **Noctis:** I think he likes how his decisions affect the story because it's kind of like a puzzle.

 **Gladio:** Makes sense.

 **Noctis:** I want him to play Beyond Two Souls.

 **Gladio:** :Crying While Laughing Emoji: So you can sabotage his every move with the alien?

 **Noctis:** Aiden isn't an alien. But yes.

 **Gladio:** Well if you want another fight with him, that might be a way to get one.

 **Gladio:** Prompto's gonna be jealous.

 **Noctis:** Are you kidding?

 **Noctis:** He'll get to laugh his ass off watching.

 **Noctis:** How is he, btw?

 **Noctis:** I haven't been able to reach him since I kind of borrowed his phone and lost it.

Noctis frowned when a bit of time passed and his Shield still hadn't answered.

 **Noctis:** …Gladio?

Okay, maybe he was still helping clean up the mess from earlier. He'd probably be back with a reply soon.

Noctis waited anxiously, bobbing his leg up and down as he watched Ignis directing Ashley and Chris around the basement as he searched for Sam.

…Okay, this was taking way too long.

 **Noctis:** Gladio. Is there something I should know about Prompto?

A few more seconds, and finally the reply came.

 **Gladio:** He's not hurt. Just a little freaked out.

 **Noctis:** AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THIS SOONER? I could have talked to him somehow!

 **Gladio:** He's not freaked out about you.

 **Noctis:** Then what ELSE has happened lately?

 **Gladio:** Noct, he was the sniper that got Loqi.

 **Noctis:** What

Noctis leaned forwards, focusing more on the screen.

 **Noctis:** A sniper? He's not even an official Crownsgaurd yet! Why was he there in the first place?

 **Gladio:** We called him because he knew the building better than anyone.

 **Gladio:** The Glaive don't usually use guns, though, so he was one of the only possible snipers we had.

 **Gladio:** He'll be fine, this is just the first time he shot a person.

Right. Even if Prompto hadn't actually killed Loqi, he _had_ shot someone.

Noctis' thumbs froze mid-message. Just… just like how he'd stabbed Drautos. Noctis swallowed, his hands shaking slightly. Ulric had actually finished Drautos off, but Noctis had studied enough to know he'd struck a fatal hit anyway. His mind had been so frazzled with his hearing loss, and talking with Aranea, and then Ignis'… incident earlier that he was only just now thinking back to… to…

Astrals…

Drautos' wheezing breaths… the way Noctis' sword felt as it slid past bone and the blood seeping out onto his hands, warm and tacky and–

Noctis gagged, dropping his phone and clapping a hand over his mouth as he shoved off the couch and staggered towards the bathroom.


	5. I'm like eighty percent sure?

"Noct?" Ignis' concerned tone was muffled by Noctis' ears.

His hand hit the bathroom door so hard that his palm stung, and the tiles were harsh and cold as his knees hit the floor. He couldn't adjust his position, though. Not when he was already emptying his stomach into the toilet.

Even after he was done, he sat on the floor, still trembling and trying to catch his breath. He couldn't hear Ignis approach, but he was expecting him, so he wasn't surprised when he felt the gentle hand on his shoulder.

Ignis didn't ask any questions. He just stood there, offering his support silently.

Noctis climbed to his feet, using the sink as support. "L-let's get back to the game."

"Noct." Ignis' tone was gentle, but loud enough that Noctis could hear it clearly as Ignis set his other hand on Noctis' free shoulder so they were facing each other. "It is all right if _you_ aren't all right. You were nearly killed. You _were_ shot."

Noctis swallowed. Ignis didn't even know. He probably hadn't been told all the much.

"That's not… I…" Noctis forced himself to look up, and he wasn't even sure if his eyes were watering because of the vomiting or if he was crying. "I killed Drautos." How could he even convey all the emotions in his head right now? There were just too many.

He wanted to just be angry. Or happy. He'd gotten rid of a traitor – someone who had sold them all out. That was a good thing. But that wasn't how betrayal worked. For every second he'd spent in that car with Drautos, there were a hundred more he could think of where Drautos was the man his father had trusted to stand beside him. Noctis could still remember the first time he'd warped in front of the Captain – the praise and congratulations and _smiling_. How much of it was fake? All of it? Or had he sold them out at a later date?

Noctis startled back to the present when Ignis squeezed his shoulders.

Noctis sniffed. "I know it's stupid. I shouldn't be so upset. Good people die every day in this war…" He trailed off as he saw Ignis was looking at him with nothing but understanding. Nothing patronizing. Nothing judging.

"I killed Loqi's men in the garage," Ignis said. "They were wearing helmets. I don't even know what their faces looked like, but there is still some part of me that remains broken over it." Ignis shook his head faintly. "Taking a life… No amount of training that we went through could have truly prepared us for that, or any of what we experienced in the last two days."

"I…" Noctis licked his lips, hands still shaking at his sides. "I keep trying to focus on something else – to get it out of my head, but…" His breath hitched. "I just keep seeing things. I… I feel like I'm eight again, just after the attack."

Again, Ignis' grip on his shoulders tightened. "You are not the helpless child you were then, Noct. And while we are not Lady Lunafreya, you are not alone by any means."

Now that was definitely true. Gladio was the only one not traumatized in some way by all this crap, but he'd want to help anyway. But… Ignis was right. Noctis didn't want to be treated differently by Prompto and Gladio and his dad. He just wanted things to be normal, but they couldn't be after all this. Maybe, though… maybe they could pretend. Maybe Gladio and Prompto didn't have to know the details. Maybe his dad didn't have to know either.

"Iggy…" Noctis muttered. "I know we already kind of agreed to this, but like… Can we work through this together, maybe? Without everyone knowing?"

Ignis nodded, his voice momentarily too low for Noctis to pick up.

Noctis frowned. "I wonder if I'll have to learn sign language…"

"If you do, then I shall learn it with you."

Noctis smiled faintly. "Thanks, Iggy. And we'll figure out a way to help you deal with your crap too, okay?"

Ignis nodded again.

They could figure this out. They _would_ figure this out.

A couple minutes later, Noctis pulled away. "Hey… don't we have a game to finish? I could… I don't know about you, but I could really use the distraction."

* * *

Ignis eyed Noct carefully as they returned to the couch. He was wary of letting Noct go without any sort of professional help, but… at the same time he understood. He didn't want to speak with a stranger either. He didn't want anyone else to know what he'd been through. The fewer people that knew, the less real it became. Of course, that was only an illusion, but everyone treading on eggshells around the two of them would be far worse. And their friends probably wouldn't even realize they were doing it sometimes.

He and Noct had made it through harder things together now. They could fell these mental beasts together.

Noctis plopped onto the couch upon reaching it, pulling the blankets around himself and keeping his eyes intently on the TV. He didn't even touch his phone, which he'd been typing furiously on before.

"We should call Prompto tomorrow," he said, voice faintly muffled through the blanket. "He's having a tough time too since he shot Loqi."

Ignis felt his eyebrows shoot up as he took his seat, reaching for the controller. His hand paused, gripping the device. "Prompto was that sniper?"

"Yeah, guess so…" Noctis shrugged. "Seemed like he did a hell of a job from what Gladio told me."

"Who was the other sniper, then?"

"I can ask? But only if you're not gonna go hit whoever it is with a baseball bat."

Ignis chuckled. "Whoever it was, they were only doing their job. I hold nothing against them. I can almost promise you that they feel worse about it than me." Ignis unpaused the game, continuing his search for Sam. "Would you… perhaps wish to invite Prompto over?"

Noctis shook his head as he typed on his phone. "Last thing he's gonna need is to worry about us after seeing how screwed up we are at the moment. Besides, he has no phone and is probably sleeping. He's got school in the morning."

"Very well."

"…Okay, so I'm gonna have to get you a shirt that says 'I got shot by the Immortal and all I got was this crappy shirt.'"

" _Cor_ shot me? I say… I was lucky indeed. And I'm definitely not going to try and hit him with a bat." Actually, thinking back, they knew before Cor was one of those snipers, but… well, much had happened. Ignis had entirely forgotten.

"Yeah, I'm guessing that wouldn't end well."

"Definitely not. Now, where is Sam and where is the murder…" He'd been searching this "basement" for a very long time now, being led around by a ghost that had showed Chris and Ashley secret passageways to places that looked even less safe than the cabin Jessica had been dragged screaming from.

"…Did you pick up any scissors?"

"…Should I have?"

"How did you miss that? You've found, like, ev– oh crap… I distracted you…"

"And what do these scissors affect?"

"I… don't… know… We all got them. They were kind of in an obvious place. I mean, knowing what they're used for, I don't think it'll make that much of a difference?"

"You don't _think?_ "

"…I'm, like, eighty percent sure?"

"Eighty?"

"…Okay, seventy. Ish."

"Very reassuring."

The eternal basement search continued on until Chris and Ashley found a dummy dressed in Sam's clothing.

"Ah! Am I to assume this is where Sam would be if I'd gotten her caught?" Ignis eyed the shadows behind the two characters. If this was put here, it was likely a trap. A set up for an ambush, perhaps.

"Yeah. She _was_ there for all of us."

The murderer appeared behind them, as Ignis suspected. In moments, he had Chris and Ashley incapacitated with no problems.

Ignis sighed.

Noctis scratched the back of his head. "Well… there was where the rest of us used the scissors. He still caught us, though, so no real change?"

"I missed a chance to _stab_ him?"

"Yeah."

"Damn."

Noctis choked on laughter, and Ignis felt his cheeks flush as he realized he'd let that slip out.

The scene returned with Chris and Ashley both tied to chairs placed opposite a table. And… there were more saws above them. Ignis also couldn't help but notice the gun on the table.

Ignis took slow breaths. How long had it been since Noct played the game that he didn't recall _this?_

No. It was fine. He'd even seen the Guidance Totem earlier that had told him to put the gun on the table. He wouldn't have to shoot either of them. He wouldn't have to pull the trigger with Chris holding a gun to his own head.

"…Ignis?" Noctis asked softly.

"I'm all right." He was. Truly. This wasn't at all how he'd tried to end his own life. The reason was, though. He'd wanted to save the ones he loved.

"…I can take the controller, or we can stop…"

"No." Ignis let the counter on the time limit run down as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Thank you, but that's not necessary." He should treat this as a first test – he could hardly be a good Advisor if certain topics couldn't be broached without him freezing up.

He let out another sigh, this one of relief as the screen faded to black with the saws descending on Ashley and Chris both.

Noctis set a hand on his shoulder, brow knit as he studied Ignis. "You good?"

Ignis nodded. "Carrying ever onward."

* * *

He was… the biggest idiot in history.

Noctis sat quietly, mentally kicking himself as Ignis snuck around the psycho's lair as Sam. It was a playing section Noctis had never seen before, and he probably would have been interested if he wasn't the absolute worst friend ever. How could he have not thought about that part with Chris and Ashley? Crap, if Ignis had chosen to have Chris shoot himself to save Ashley while he was using the Motion Controls… man, he could have actually had to hold the controller like a gun to his own head.

What had it been, like maybe a day since Ignis had tried to kill himself?

Yeah… Noctis was officially the worst. He needed to do something really nice for Ignis. He didn't know what, but somethin–

" _You have got to be bloody kidding me!_ "

Noctis jumped, Ignis' outburst being about seven times more startling than any of the game's jump scares thus far.

"What, what?" Noctis looked over to find Ignis staring murderously at him. "…What?"

"Joshua was the psycho all along and faked his own death?" Ignis demanded.

How in the hell had he figured that– oooh. So, apparently not getting Sam caught let the player sneak around and find all of Josh's plans and stuff.

Noctis took another look at Ignis' glare and burst out laughing again. Well, it looked like the Josh and Sam romance wasn't exactly working out.

"Just… keep playing. All will be explained."

Ignis glowered, looking around for more clues until Sam ran into Mike and they got the poor girl some clothes, putting the game back on a track that Noctis recognized.

"Ah, now this is a team I can work with." Ignis still sounded grouchy, but he was definitely happy about his new team.

"Oh, hey, yeah! That's you and Gladio! Now he can help you kick your ex's ass for breaking your heart."

Noctis relished the death look he got for that.

"I believe saving Prompto is the first order of business. After that, I'll see if I still feel inclined to save you as well."

"Rude."

Sam and Mike eventually broke into the room with Chris and Ashley, and Chris tried to shoot "the psycho" as he strutted into the room too, only to find that the gun was loaded with blanks. Then Josh took off his mask, and the scene cut to black.

…And then switched to Emily.

"Oh, bloody hell." Ignis dropped his head back against the couch momentarily. "All the characters left, and we had to switch to her _right now?_ "

Noctis snickered. "Well, don't kill her off now – you've still got a perfect record going since Josh is still alive. And you might as well get going – you're gonna be her for a while."

Ignis begrudgingly did so. "So, when does the true killer surface, I do wonder?"

"Hmm?"

Ignis shot him a look. "Oh, come now, Noct. Clearly Joshua's actions are a result of what happened to his sisters – he by no means was the one responsible for their deaths. In fact, I'm willing to bet his actions thus far couldn't have led to any true character deaths. He doesn't even know there _is_ any true danger. The true killer of the Washington twins is still running amok and is the one that took Jessica earlier and caused the tower to fall."

"Well deduced, L."

"Pardon?"

"…Okay, we're adding _Death Note_ to the list of things to do on our future hangouts. You'll love the deductive mind games."

"Is that another video game?"

"Nah, it's a show."

"…This list is going to get rather extensive, isn't it?"

"Yes. Very. We have years to catch up on."

"Well, just don't forget to reserve time for other pursuits while I'm around, such as sign language, perhaps?"

Right. They did still have a lot of real crap to work out, but… now that he was thinking about it… "You know I probably won't need that… Dad said they told him I should get all my hearing back in my left ear."

If Noctis didn't know better, he'd almost say Ignis looked disappointed.

"…I suppose."

Yeah, okay, no, he definitely looked bummed.

"Specs… did you _want_ to learn sign language for any reason?"

Ignis shrugged faintly, keeping his eyes on the screen. "I'll admit, it's always intrigued me, but I never had a true reason to devote my time to it."

"But you _want_ to learn it?"

"I do, but–"

"Then we do it."

Finally. Something Ignis actually had an interest in that was completely separate from his work. Yeah, he had his cooking, but even that he used in his job of taking care of Noctis. This wouldn't be something he'd have to learn for Noctis – they could learn it together.

Ignis briefly looked at him in surprise. "That's quite all right, Noct, there's no need–"

"You wanting to is all the need I need. Besides, I _do_ have hearing loss, even if it's not total – sign language would be a good thing to know. Who knows? Might come in handy some day when I'm King."

Ignis smiled. "Very well, then. I'll do some research on the topic in the morning."

"Sounds good, Specs."

So, their list was growing. Noctis couldn't say he minded.


	6. What the bloody hell is that?

Emily's section was extremely long and boring… apart from finding Beth's head, which was enlightening. Other than that, it was composed of getting a lot of broken mining equipment working again so Emily could find her way out of the mine.

"There is a surprising lack of daemons in the game considering everything else it's thrown at these characters and the fact that it's all set at night…"

Noct didn't answer and was still frowning at his phone, so Ignis supposed he hadn't spoke loud enough for him to hear. He raised his voice. "Are you still speaking with Gladio?"

Noctis grimaced. "Yeah."

"And has he said something particularly upsetting?"

"Uh." Noctis' chocobo-in-the-headlights look was all too telling. "No. Just stuff."

Ignis gave him a flat look. "Noct, that expression wouldn't convince a total stranger, let alone me."

Noctis let out a huff of air. "It's Citadel stuff, and you're supposed to be relaxing."

"So are you."

"…Fine. Gladio was keeping me updated on some stuff, and things are just kinda… messy."

"Define 'messy.'"

"Well, Nyx Ulric– you know him? He's the Glaive who got taken captive with me."

Ignis nodded. "I know _of_ him."

"Right, well… My dad wants him to take over as Captain of the Glaive, but he's also been ordered home because Drautos stabbed him, so the Glaive's a little disorderly right now."

Ignis nearly snorted. "I can imagine so, with two of its highest-ranking officers turning out to be traitors."

"Yeah… Gladio says everyone's pretty much running around like headless chocobos. The Glaive that are still around the Citadel are exhausted and my dad is only really trusting, like, three people, so things are getting done pretty slow."

Ignis frowned. "That's… rather unfortunate." He could have assisted with all that, but he knew the King was more likely to have him drugged and taken back home than let him help at this point. "I imagine trust is going to take a very long time to rekindle between some members of the Glaive and Guard after what took place. There's no saying for certain that Drautos and Luche were the only double agents within Lucis' ranks. This could… quite frankly, this could unravel the fabrics that currently make up our form of governance."

"…Aren't you being a little dramatic there, Specs?"

Ignis licked his lips. "I'm afraid not. The Glaive… Noct, it may have slipped by your notice, but there are many citizens in Insomnia who hold disdain for… outsiders. Namely, the Glaive. This… will no doubt exacerbate those feelings."

Noctis looked like the gears were turning in his mind for a moment as he processed that. "Then… we need to get out in front of this. I could talk to my dad – we could put up first and foremost Nyx's efforts. That other guy too – Pelna. He caught Wedge. We can make sure the public knows the Glaive played a huge part in stopping what happened, and– what? What's that look for?"

Ignis blinked slowly. "You're taking a rather lot of initiative and an interest in politics all of the sudden…"

Noctis shrugged. "I'm not gonna let the Glaives that helped save our lives take the heat for what a couple of traitors did."

"Indeed."

Well, well, well… He'd always known Noct could make a fine leader if he set his mind to it. It was excellent to see that side of him finally making an appearance.

* * *

Emily's ridiculously long section finally came to an end with a second masked man who wasn't Josh popping up, and then the scene jumped back to Josh, Sam, Chris, Mike, and Ashley.

Josh was rambling all out like a crazy person, but not a crazy person that was trying to kill people. Just like a guy who clearly had issues. And, for some reason, Ignis' Sam was being far more understanding about it than she had in any of the other playthroughs Noctis had seen. Well, okay, so she didn't get drugged by him and tied up in this game, so that was probably why.

Whatever the case, it would appear the Sam and Josh romance wasn't entirely dead.

"Wooow, Iggy. You are one forgiving person."

"Well, it is hardy his fault he's on the wrong medication…" Ignis muttered.

"Huh?" When had the game said that?

"Did you not read the documents I found in his lair?" Ignis was staring at the screen intently as Mike blamed Josh for Jessica's death while Josh didn't seem to know what he was talking about. "And I thought I'd saved Jessica thus far?"

"You did, he just thinks she's dead. And no – what did they say?"

"He's been receiving psychiatric help since he was eleven, but his medication is what one would take for depression. If I had to take a guess, I'd say his symptoms are more along the line of those pertaining to schizophrenia."

"…Do I want to know why you have the symptoms for multiple mental illnesses memorized?"

Ignis gave him a look. "Why do you think, Noct?"

Noctis sighed. Of course. Of freaking course Ignis had been doing psych evaluations on him over the years. Why was he even surprised? What didn't Ignis know about him at this point?

Noctis reached over and hit the pause button on the controller, narrowing his eyes at Ignis thoughtfully. "What's my blood type?"

"AB negative," Ignis responded instantly.

"My least favorite food."

"I believe it was a tie, last I checked."

"Between?"

"Brussel sprouts and spinach."

"Who's my favorite teacher in high school?"

"Markus Altros."

"What's my shampoo brand?"

"…Do _you_ know that?"

"…No."

"It's Choco-Shine. I buy it for you, remember? Don't give me that look."

"…My eye prescription?"

"Just under nineteen."

"Good grief, Specs…" Noctis slumped back against the couch. "Do you even know all the answers to those about yourself?"

"Of course. My blood type is O negative–"

"It is? Really? Huh, that's cool…" How did that manage to happen? "So, I've got the rarest, and you've got the universal donor type? What are the chances of tha–" Noctis cut himself off, taking in the look Ignis was giving him. "…That was intentional, wasn't it? One of the reasons my dad picked you?"

"Think what you will, Noct." Ignis unpaused the game, his attention back on it as Chris and Mike hauled Josh to the shed to tie him up.

Huh. Now Chris was being nicer to Josh than in any of the other games Noctis had seen. Chris had flat out hit Josh in the face in those. Here he just seemed reserved and kinda dazed. Oh yeah, and definitely a bit betrayed still.

"…He is entirely unhinged," Ignis commented as Josh went into full-on crazy ramblings again.

Noctis snorted. "Yeah, what was your first clue?" Yet, Ignis still managed to choose all the options that would drive up Josh's opinion of Chris. Well. That made sense. He had picked him over Ashley earlier in the game when Chris had thought one of them would be sawed in half.

"What? No, you blundering fools – don't split up again, the true murderer's bound show up at any moment! How are you all this oblivious? He fully admitted to the prank! He's proud of it! Why would he lie concerning Jessica?"

Well. Ignis wasn't _wrong_ , but wow. Just wow. He'd officially gotten to the stage of fussing at the characters in the game. _Yes._ Success yet again.

The game started the eighth chapter, this time with no therapy session. Probably because it was clear now that Josh had been hallucinating Dr. Hill the entire game thus far and right now Josh was too nuts to even do that.

The new chapter immediately cut to Emily, who was facing off against the "real" killer. Hah. Or not so much since the guy gave Emily some flares and pushed her down a slope, telling her to get out of the area.

Inhuman shrieking echoed around the area. Noctis grinned as he could see the wheels turning in Ignis' head.

"…What is that?" Ignis questioned as Emily ran away from the noises.

"What was what?" Noctis asked innocently.

"What precisely is making that sound?"

"Dunno what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't…"

An arm punched through a wooden wall right beside Emily's head, and she started all-out sprinting, giving Ignis multiple quick time events to hit.

 _Please pick the path to the right, please pick the path to the right,_ Noctis chanted internally, and he nearly cheered when Ignis _did_ pick right at the fork in the road.

Noctis held his breath, relishing the moment when Ignis most _positively_ and _definitely_ did jump as the true villain of the game made its first real appearance, shrieking straight into their faces from the TV.

" _What the bloody hell is that?_ " Ignis demanded, recovering in time to get Emily to pull the elevator lever so she didn't die right there. The elevator stopped, and a Don't Move section appeared as the monster's white eyes looked directly at Emily through the wooden slats of the elevator wall.

"Hope you're not shaking too bad there, Specs."

"Shut up, Noct!" Ignis hissed, posture incredibly tense and eyes unblinkingly staring at the screen in concentration.

Emily started running again, the game dishing out multiple quick time events that made Emily throw things in the wendigo's path to slow it down. Naturally, Ignis had no problems hitting those, and Emily escaped almost unscathed. Almost. Except she stopped, out of Ignis' control, and got herself bitten. Heh. That would be fun later.

Other than that, she was alive and heading for the lodge.

Ignis let out a very slow and controlled-sounding breath.

"Sooo… still having fun?"

"…Why did I let you talk me into this?"

* * *

Of course there was a daemon running around. Ignis should have listened to his earlier instincts about that, but he'd assumed the game had set aside the logic of daemons being around such a place as this due to not fitting the plot. Oh, how wrong he'd been.

Emily had arrived back at the lodge, her screams drawing Mike from where he'd been guarding Josh as well. That gathered Mike, Emily, Chris, Ashley, and Sam all together in the lodge – the largest group they'd had in a while. Then the stranger that had helped Emily knocked on the door and began laying out the facts of what they were all up against.

A daemon known as a wendigo was, evidently, the true murderer in this game. It was a daemon spawned from a human via a human resorting to cannibalism. Of course, there was no such daemon in the true world, but it was a clever spin on reality to make a creature for the game.

Ignis was mulling over the facts presented to him when Chris declared he was going to get Josh from where Mike had left him so his friend wouldn't get eaten by the daemons.

Well. This was going to go without issue, Ignis was sure.

He chuckled when the stranger handed Chris a shotgun. "He truly is Prompto…"

Noctis snickered as Ashley kissed Chris before he headed out the door. "Pretty much, yeah. Except getting a lot more action."

Ignis chose not to dignify that with a response, instead concentrating on the valuable information the stranger was providing Chris with. Ignis had been correct on one thing – the wendigos tracked movement.

As suspected, the mission to save Josh did not go smoothly. Josh was gone by the time they reached the shed, and the daemon was close by.

…And the stranger was swiftly decapitated by it, leaving Chris on his own.

Ignis gritted his teeth. "Not under my watch will you fall so easily, Prompto." He glared at the wendigo hopping about nearby, and he held his arm out, bracing it with the other and holding it like a true gun as best he could. "Let's send this daemon swiftly back from whence it came."

"Hell yeah." Noctis grinned.

And so it began. The first true showdown between the villain and a character Ignis actually cared about.

Chris made a mad dash for the lodge, blasting the wendigo one time after another with his shotgun and ducking under and over obstacles as he fought for his life. A prompt popped up, and Ignis smashed the triangle button, letting Chris roll under a low tree branch before bringing his gun up only just in time to blast the daemon back again. Even landing wrong on his ankle once, he managed to make it to the front of the lodge. Still a fair distance to cross with a sprained ankle, though.

No. Ignis refused. He'd made it this far without even knowing what he was up against. He could handle this.

Again, the wendigo was warded off by the shotgun, but it still wasn't dead. Only fire could do that, the stranger had told him. Ignis spotted the barrel just as the prompt popped up to hit it or the wendigo again. Ignis chose the barrel, resulting in an explosion that drove the daemon back and allowed Chris to make it inside.

"Boom!" Noctis did a fist pump, holding his hand up for a high five.

Ignis accepted the high five. He was rather proud he'd made it through all that and kept Prompto alive.

Now. What would be the next challenge?


	7. idk share the toaster

Ignis cocked his head to the side, lips pursed, but he made no actual move to shoot Emily when the game presented the option. "This is far more tempting than it should be, although I positively do not believe she'll turn into one of those daemons just from being bitten."

"Yeah, I think we were all conflicted on this one. Except Gladio. He took that opportunity the second he got it."

"I am… afraid I cannot fault him."

Still, Ignis didn't shoot her, and Mike went to find Josh to get the keys to the cable car, which meant going back through the sanatorium. Ashley used the time to look through the stranger's book, which Ignis, of course, actually took the time to fully read.

"There are wendigos imprisoned in the sanatorium," Ignis said flatly. "That's unfortunate."

And so Sam decided to go try and warn Mike he was heading into a death trap, which meant the entire group was leaving the safety of the basement. The chapter ended with that, and then a new therapy session began, but this time it was just Josh and Dr. Hill in the mines with a very out-of-place desk.

"I do wonder what the true Dr. Hill is like. He seemed perfectly genuine in his messages."

"Messages?"

Ignis gave him an exasperated look. "You really weren't paying attention while I was investigating Josh's base of operations, were you?"

"…I'm gonna say no."

The scene switched over to Mike.

"Ah. Now comes my time to save Gladio, I suppose." Ignis smothered a yawn. "What time is it?"

Noctis clicked a button on his phone, bringing up the screen. "Three-thirty. You wanna call it and finish another time?" Well, that was disappointing, but he wasn't going to force Ignis to–

"And leave Gladio in a den of daemons? I think not."

…Well, okay then.

So Ignis kept on, finding a shotgun for Mike and getting his wolf friend from earlier to join him as he made his way into the depths of the sanatorium. Where every wendigo and their brother were waiting.

Noctis' phone gave a buzz.

 **Gladio:** You two STILL up?

 **Noctis:** Yep.

 **Gladio:** Body count?

 **Noctis:** 0

 **Gladio:** Wth, how?

 **Gladio:** Where is he now?

 **Noctis:** Sanatorium round 2. And idk man.

 **Gladio:** Think he'll lose anyone?

 **Gladio:** Josh maybe?

 **Noctis:** HAHAHA no. Not a chance.

 **Noctis:** He's a super clue finder.

 **Noctis:** I already consider Josh "saved."

 **Gladio:** He read the stranger's whole damn journal didn't he?

 **Noctis:** Yep.

 **Gladio:** Damn. Guess Chris and Ashley are safe, then.

 **Noctis:** Probably.

 **Gladio:** Matt and Jessica?

 **Noctis:** He'll probably do fine with them too.

 **Noctis:** But if he loses Jessica I'm giving him SO much hell for it.

 **Gladio:** You could make sure he loses her. :Game Controller Emoji: :Hand Emoji: :Smirking Emoji:

 **Noctis:** :Shocked Emoji: Gladiolus! And here he is working so hard to save your life at the moment.

 **Gladio:** Pffft. I have plot armor for 99% of the game.

 **Noctis:** He doesn't know that.

 **Noctis:** And I know how to get that 1%, you know.

 **Noctis** : WAIT NO

 **Gladio:** …what?

 **Noctis:** Smiling Imp Emoji I have a better idea.

 **Gladio:** What?

 **Noctis:** If you find my body in here tomorrow, I don't want you to blame yourself for failing as my Shield, okay?

 **Gladio:** …should I be worried?

 **Noctis:** Prompto gets most of my stuff. Ignis can have the kitchen appliances. You can have everything in my workout room.

 **Gladio:** …you don't have a workout room, we use the training room

 **Noctis:** Well idk share the toaster with Ignis.

 **Noctis:** He'll be in prison for my murder anyway.

 **Gladio** : What are you gonna do?

 **Noctis:** Something that is definitely bad enough to pie him off.

 **Noctis:** Piano

 **Noctis:** Pisa

 **Noctis:** PEPPER

 **Noctis:** FICKLE AUTOCORRECT

 **Gladio:** :Crying While Laughing Emoji: Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers?

 **Noctis:** -_- :Middle Finger Emoji:

 **Gladio:** Knowing Ignis, pie fits pretty well.

 **Noctis:** Not when we're talking about murder it doesn't.

 **Gladio:** Really? :Glasses Emoji: :Chef Hat Emoji: :Knife Emoji Screaming Emoji: :Frying Pan Emoji: :Pie Emoji:

 **Noctis:** …

 **Gladio:** Still want to piss him off?

 **Gladio:** Assuming that's the word you were going for originally.

 **Noctis:** …If you don't hear from me in a couple hours, check to see if Ignis has cooked anything with meat in it, okay?

 **Gladio:** Sure thing.

It wouldn't be too long before Ignis got to the last chapter, given that he was already almost done with the sanatorium now–

" _Barricade that door!_ " Noctis yelled, realizing where Ignis was.

Ignis flinched at his outburst. "What–"

"Just do it!"

"I was going to anyway." Ignis complied, having Mike shove something in front of the door. "Why are you yelling at me? You haven't actually helped me all game."

"I make exceptions for Pryna." Noctis put his phone away.

"Ah. I see. The wolf is now safe, then?"

"Uh-huh. Just had to make sure. Carry on."

And so Ignis did. Until he got to the room full of barrels and a wendigo. The game gave him the option of shooting the wendigo or the barrels.

"This is highly unfair," Ignis hissed through pressed-together teeth as he shot the wendigo.

"How so?"

"That Danger Totem showed him dying in an inferno, so igniting an entire room full of explosives doesn't seem particularly promising, but he can't defeat the daemons without fire–"

The game didn't give Ignis another prompt as the wendigo pounced on Mike and the screen went black.

Noctis snickered.

Ignis blinked slowly. "Did I just kill Gladio?"

"…Are there blood and guts everywhere?"

"…Fair point. This game has been hardly subtle in that regard." Ignis' eyebrows shot up as a very brief scene played next. "My word, so you are alive after all… She truly did sleep through most of the game."

"Yeah, yeah…"

The game returned focus to Ashley after that as she, Sam, Emily, and Chris continued on to find Mike. Chris tried to bow out on account of his hurt ankle, but Ignis had Ashley flat-out refuse to leave him behind. Despite that, however, Ashley managed to get separated from the group, and Jessica's voice called out to her.

Ignis scoffed, completely ignoring the voice and choosing to rejoin the others.

"I can't believe you just ignored me!" Noctis protested.

Ignis snorted. "If you're going to try and convince me that wasn't a wendigo, you are not going to succeed. There was a reason I read that journal, and it's paid off."

Noctis sighed. "Fiiiiiine." Well, without Ashley letting the wendigo out down that path, Chris was officially safe. There were no other ways for him to die. One officially down. Prompto lives. Huzza.

Coming to a rock wall that apparently only Sam was capable of climbing, she continued on while the others headed back, and the game shifted control to her.

"Once more into the mines…" Ignis muttered.

"More like out of, but yeah."

Ignis had Sam pick up a large pipe and kept going until she found a door out of the mines, then she continued on to the sanatorium.

"I have a lead pipe. These daemons are _bulletproof._ "

Noctis shrugged. "You're resourceful. I'm sure you'll manage."

And manage Sam did, rescuing Mike by beating the wendigo off of him with the pipe before they both ran, blowing up the sanatorium behind them.

"Hmph. That went better than expected."

"Well, it is you and Gladio doing your normal jobs pretty much."

Ignis gave him a look. "Noct, I'm fairly certain Gladio and I have never faced cannibalistic humans-turned-daemons on a secluded mountain before."

"Oh? You sure?"

"I'm rather confident I'd remember that, yes."

"Yeah, I suppose." Noctis grinned. "One chapter to go, Iggy. Think you can keep everyone alive?"

Ignis tilted his head, clicking his tongue. "We shall see."

* * *

"…This man is in some very serious need of some proper medication," Ignis noted as Josh screamed at the twisted mutations his mind was conjuring of his dead sisters.

"Yeaaaah… You sure do have an interesting type, Iggy."

Ignis sighed. He personally still found Josh to be an understandable and interesting character, but if he voiced that now Noctis would never let him hear the end of it. So instead he punched a hallucination of a decapitated pig's head instead. "…Now there's something I'd never thought I'd be able to say I've done."

Back in control of Sam, Ignis continued through the mines in search of Josh. Sam and Mike were no longer armed, and they were now wading through water. Not a good plan, but the game offered Ignis no alternative.

"I say… the waterwheel… That totem was near the beginning of the game." Ignis had been wondering about that for a while. He did as he recalled the totem showing and climbed out of the water next to the wheel.

And thus he discovered the true fate of Hannah from her journal that was left there.

Ignis nodded. "I had my suspicions, but that's rather unfortunate. I'm beginning to think it's the Washingtons themselves that are cursed, not the mountain. So, Hannah herself is one of the daemons."

"Yeah, and she's probably pissed at you for dropping her."

"Nonsense. _Beth_ dropped her, and Hannah _clearly_ already had her revenge on her." Personally, Ignis was fairly confident he'd just let himself starve rather than digging up the corpse of his sibling.

Noct made a face. "Ew. Yeah, guess so."

The next door Sam and Mike opened let out a wave of water that was carrying the stranger's head. The room itself held the body, which was hanging from the ceiling on some chains. Sam and Mike started having minor panic attacks about the 'lots of bodies.'

Ignis tilted his head. There was only _one_ body there.

"What the what?" Noct laughed. "Some dev must have forgotten to change the dialogue or something. That made sense when the rest of us were playing because everyone who'd died so far was in here."

"Ah. I see." Their responses _did_ seem natural for that set of circumstances. Getting over their initial reactions, the two made it to the other side of the room and found Josh, who was yelling at thin air. Mike hit him across the face to snap him out of it.

Noct snorted. "Now there's something Gladio would do – hit the guy having issues."

"As well he should."

"Huh?"

"Hmm. Sometimes a shock such as that is needed to break the mind loose from its own trap."

"…Oh." Noct was quiet for a moment, looking awkward. "So if you…" He gestured to the bathroom. "If… that happens again, should I…"

"Yes," Ignis said firmly.

"…You want me to hit you…"

Seeing how uncomfortable Noct looked, Ignis tried to choose words of reassurance. "Noct, trust me when I tell you it's kinder than the alternative."

Noct swallowed. "Okay."

"…You must be joking." Ignis scowled at the screen. "Stop bloody splitting up! There is no benefit to this!" He pretended not to notice Noct's radiating amusement.

No matter how much he objected, however, Sam still left the others, climbing out to the surface via a way Josh couldn't follow in his condition. Ignis was left in control of Josh.

Mike led the way, retracing Sam and Mike's earlier steps back into the water where Ignis knew there was a wendigo waiting. He tensed, ready for any quick time events that might appear. None did. He had no control as Josh was dragged off by what was confirmed to be his sister. Mike barely escaped, pressed up against a wall he'd somehow made it to.

And the screen went black.

"Well, congrats. You saved your beloved."

Ignis looked at Noct incredulously. "That… is not what I would qualify as being _saved_ , Noct."

"…Just wait, the game will come back to him."

"Fine…"

The screen brightened to reveal… someone Ignis had almost entirely forgotten about.

"Where on Eos has he been?" Ignis wondered as an unharmed Matt lit up a lantern and then was almost hit by a shovel that Jessica was wielding.

"I say, Noct. Turning on your allies?"

"Can't you see I'm having a hard time? I was dragged through the snow in my underwear and thrown down an elevator shaft. At least I'm still alive and swinging."

"Indeed. At the wrong target. At least you found some form of clothes. Aren't you lucky?"

"Shut up and get me out of here, Pelna."

"…Who?"

"He's a Glaive. Make him do his job and protect me."

"As you wish, Princess."

"Shut the hell up, Glaive. Let's go."

"My, you're rather becoming a tyrant, aren't you?"

A wendigo scream echoed around the part of the mines they were in. Ignis sat forwards. "All right, Highness… let's see you safely home."

"I'm holding you to that."

"Of that I have no doubt."

Of course, Ignis chose to hide rather than run. In Noct– Jessica's condition, running would have been a death sentence, even if Matt could have outrun the daemon.

He utterly refused to get Jessica killed. Noct would never let him hear the end of it.

The Don't Move prompt ended, and the two ran, making their way through the mines. The wendigo saw them then, skittering along in pursuit.

"Like hell…" Ignis muttered. Ignis chose to break out of the mines, dragging Jessica along. They hid once more on the other side of the wall, triggering another Don't Move prompt.

Just a few more moments…

 _Success._

The Wendigo lost them and ran off the opposite direction in search.

"Yes!" Ignis hissed, pleased as the two Wendigo-free characters looked into the distance and saw the lodge.

"Hell yeah! Me and Pelna are safe! Four down, four to go!"

"Four?" By his count it was only three…

"Oh, yeah, there's no way to get Chris killed in the last chapter. He's safe."

Excellent. "I've saved you and Prompto, then?"

"Yeah! We're out of the fire!"

"Splendid. Just as things should be. Now that we've seen you to safety, it's time to make our own escape."

Appropriately, the game switched control to Sam.

"Home stretch!" Noctis cheered.

No room for error whatsoever. Noctis had said the game penalized more for mistakes as the game advanced. This was the last chapter. A single mistake could be fatal to one or even multiple characters. He would not fail the final four. He would… jump into a pond in the middle of a snowstorm.

Ignis tilted his head. "Unless Sam is Shiva, I'm finding this rather improbable."

"Now that would be a plot twist," Noctis said, grabbing the remote and turning up the volume a few clicks before folding his arms behind his head and relaxing leisurely back on the couch.

There was another wendigo scream, and Sam started running, making it all the way to the lodge, where Mike caught up with her. They both entered the lodge, looking rather worse for wear as they headed for the basement.

Ignis' fingers hovered anxiously over the buttons he had become more familiar with the last few hours.

The time…

The conversion on the lodge…

This was it. The final trial.

Chris, Ashley, and Emily burst through the door, yelling at the others to go back from where they came. Ignis reacted as soon as the prompt choices appeared, having Sam shut and lock the door before the multiple wendigos could get through. Sam ran after the others, making it into the main room where everyone was frozen. Sam came to an abrupt halt too.

The creature that Hannah had become was sitting atop the hanging decoration. Its head turned in Sam's direction, and Ignis held his breath before the Don't Move prompt even appeared.

Dear Astrals, this was far more tense with the volume turned up higher. It had been well loud enough before, but the current loudness of the particular sounds that were played during the Don't Move prompts – a strange background noise Ignis couldn't quite place a label on and the playing character's spiked heart rate and rapid breaths – produced a level of anxiety Ignis hadn't expected to feel about a game before tonight.

The prompt vanished as another two wendigos found their way into the room.

Damn. One was bad enough to deal with. How was he to navigate this safely?

Oh. Oh, how fascinating. The wendigos were none too pleased about each other being there and began fighting. Hannah appeared to easily be the strongest and hurled one of the smaller wendigos into the nearby unlit fireplace. …A gas fireplace.

Mike spotted the leaking gas immediately, then zeroed in on a lightbulb that wasn't too far away, and then lastly found the light switch by the door. He and Sam made eye contact, and she nodded very subtly.

How fitting for them to be the ones with the plan.

Mike began to inch towards the lightbulb as Hannah ripped the head off one of the other wendigos. The floorboard beneath Sam's feet creaked as she tried to get to the switch. Hannah whipped around, screeching and then stalking towards Sam.

Again, Ignis was still before the prompt appeared.

 _Not bloody today, daemon._

Mike succeeded in breaking the lightbulb, but that drew Hannah's attention to him instead.

Chris, being the closest to the door, used the distraction to flee the lodge.

Right. The final four.

He had to delay. Distract. Keep the wendigos busy until the others could escape and _then_ set the entire lodge blaze.

Hannah was right beside Mike, and she most certainly already knew he was there.

A choice appeared: to save Mike or run to the switch.

Leave Gladio behind now? Absurd, even if he didn't care about killing the other two. Which he certainly did, after all this effort.

Sam yelled, drawing Hannah's attention back to her.

Ashley made a break for the door, disappearing into the safety of outside.

Three left.

Still, Ignis stayed motionless. Hannah was incredibly close this time, close enough that if Ignis were as near to her as Sam, he'd be able to smell her breath. Sam was still enough, though. Her voice hadn't been enough for the daemon to go on. Hannah stalked away, still searching.

Run for the switch, or hide.

Emily and Mike were still in danger.

Sam moved according to Ignis' directions, getting closer to the switch and pressing herself against a wall to hide.

Hannah was drawn back yet _again_.

Emily sprinted out the door.

Just the two of them now.

Down to getting him and Gladio– _Mike_ out.

He had to keep Hannah busy just a bit longer. Mike was so close to the door.

The Don't Move prompt appeared for what Ignis believed would be the last time, and this time Hannah was downright nearly touching Sam she was so close.

The prompt was long. Perhaps it only felt that way, but Ignis was almost certain it was the longest in the game. His knuckles felt cold from the lack of blood flow from how tightly the controller was gripped, but he didn't dare try to adjust his hold now.

Hannah's head turned, getting closer and closer until there was barely an inch between Hannah's teeth and Sam's ear. Hannah screamed directly into Sam's ear, and it was extremely loud even to Ignis, but he managed not to flinch. Hannah pulled back slightly, about to leave–

Ignis gasped as dull pain spread through his arm when Noct's foot hit just above his wrist, making him drop the controller.

* * *

 **Noct... you kind of suck, bro. lol**


	8. I want sleeeeeeep

" _Noct, what the hell?_ " Ignis demanded, glaring at Noctis for less than a second before he turned back to the TV, watching with utter anguish on his face as Sam was hauled up by her neck and then impaled before being dropped like a ragdoll onto the floor.

Noctis burst into laughter, gleefully enjoying the further dismay and shock on Ignis' face as Mike gave a reluctant look back at Sam's corpse before hitting the switch himself as he went out the door. The entire lodge went up in flames, killing the Hannigo.

Most of the remaining survivors were either standing or sitting outside in the snow as help finally arrived via a helicopter.

The credits started to roll, and Ignis turned his gaze unblinkingly towards Noctis. "I'm going to bloody murder you," he said in a creepily calm voice.

"Yeaaah, I'm pretty sure you were the one just bloody murdered there, Iggy. But you should be proud! You gallantly sacrificed yourself to save all of us– mmph!"

Noctis jumped as one of his pillows smacked him in the face.

Ignis glared murderously.

Noctis grabbed the cushion. "Oh, it's _on._ "

Ignis dodged the first two swipes of Noctis' pillow with an embarrassing amount of ease and grabbed another one for himself, relentlessly thwacking any part of Noctis he could reach. Noctis tried not to bite his tongue or lips as he started giggling.

A couple moments later, and his entire body was shaking and _kept_ shaking until he could barely even hold the cushion up to defend himself anymore. Because of that, one of Ignis' blows nailed him in the face again, making him fall back onto couch as he laughed even harder.

" _What is so bloody funny, Noct?_ " Ignis demanded, and his serious expression as he stood there with his glasses askew and hair ruffled made Noct's sides start to hurt as he tried to get his breath back.

" _We are… pillow fight… 4:30 in the morning… with my couch cushions… because… I sabotaged… your game…_ " he managed to wheeze out. " _After we were just kidnapped!_ "

Ignis stopped, his expression blanking. Then he looked at the cushion in his hands. Then at Noctis. Then to the TV. Then back to Noctis.

His laughter began as a slow chuckle, quickly building to match Noctis' in volume as he seemed to realize the ridiculousness of the situation. He dropped his cushion, falling back onto the couch with a hand pressed into his eyes under his glasses as his chest heaved.

"This… is absurd!" he managed to get out before losing his ability to speak completely.

"R-r-r-right?" Noctis' laughter stretched his word.

They watched the credits roll and the characters' post-game police station interviews play as they slowly caught their breath.

"I cannot believe you just sabotaged me after all that!"

"You had it coming for all those Jessica jokes!"

"I most certainly did not – I saved your life!"

Annnd then Josh popped up after the credits, munching the stranger's remains as a half-turned wendigo.

"Oh, you must be joking! I saved him to deliver him to a fate worse than death? That is entirely unfair!"

Noctis' chest hurt too much to really laugh more, so he just kind of hiccupped awkwardly. "Ignis… Man… you need to chill."

"I will not! I gave my time and energy into protecting those men and women!"

"Ignis, it's just a game!"

…Wow. Okay, this was weird. When had they reversed roles?

Ignis opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it without saying anything and sighed.

"Besides, I'm sure Gladio appreciates you saving his life like that. He's definitely gonna remember you fondly. Probably give a great speech at your funeral– oof!"

Another cushion hit Noctis straight in the gut.

Ignis sharply looked at the TV as the menu popped back up. "There's a chapter select?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, after you finish the game, you can go back and pick up at the start of any of the chapters– wait, no! What are you doing?"

There was a dangerous gleam in Ignis' eyes as he selected the last chapter to load. "I am getting the ending that I have been working towards all night."

Noctis groaned. "Igniiiiiiis, I want sleeeeeeep."

"Well now, you should have thought of that before."

Noctis groaned, dropping his head back to thump against the armrest as he felt around for his phone. Where had it gone during the pillow fight?

Josh freaking out, Sam and Mike, blah blah blah, and ohhhh, crap…

"You missed the journal by the waterwheel… Now Josh is gonna die…" Was he going to restart again because of that?

"Good. That's a far kinder fate than the other option for him."

"…Well, okay then."

And yep. There went Josh, getting his head crushed because he didn't recognize Hannah and call her name in time. Ouch.

On to Matt and Jessica.

Oh. Oh, no. This wasn't just about saving Sam…

Noctis finally found his phone in the cushions of the couch.

 **Noctis:** This was a wonderful and terrible idea.

 **Noctis:** …I have a feeling karma is about to bite me in the ass and its name is Ignis.

 **Gladio:** Given your texts before, I'm 98% sure you deserve it.

 **Noctis:** You're a terrible Shield.

Wait, Ignis was still making Jessica and Matt hide? And hitting the prompts? Was he not planning some sort of revenge here, or– oh. Yeah. There it was.

"Oh, wow. _Rude,_ " Noctis spluttered as Ignis selected the option that straight-up said _Abandon Jessica_. So that's what he'd been waiting on. He must have noticed it last time through the chapter. "Now you just made Pelna a terrible person too."

"He'll live, which is more than can be said for you," Ignis said with entirely too much delight.

Noctis winced. Well. He'd never seen that particular death before.

And so Matt ran off and survived.

Noctis turned his attention to his phone.

 **Noctis:** …so he just abandoned me and I got my face ripped off.

 **Gladio:** Oh, damn. What'd you do to make him do that?

 **Noctis:** …I might have kicked his arm on the last prompt and gotten Sam killed.

 **Gladio: :** Face Palm Emoji: I would have killed you too.

 **Gladio:** Wait

 **Gladio:** How did he manage to kill Jessica after you killed Sam?

 **Noctis:** …he might have restarted the chapter.

 **Gladio:** …what have you done

 **Noctis:** ?

 **Gladio:** He's playing more by choice?

 **Gladio:** Noct, you've corrupted him

 **Noctis:** Yeah, yeah, I know. I've ended the world.

 **Noctis:** Really, I think he's just trying to apply his normal perfectionist policy to this like everything else

Noctis glanced up to see where Ignis was. Already back to the lodge. Huh. Well, this wasn't too long of a chapter, at least.

Ignis sent him another glare. "Sabotage me again and I _will_ put it on for a third time."

As fun as seeing Ignis go ballistic about that would be, Noctis had no desire to sit through this again, so he fiddled around with his phone until _all_ the characters were safely out of the lodge, including Sam.

And then the credits rolled again, this time having some pretty key differences. Mainly that Sam was alive and definitely the most composed while Mike was clearly feeling some guilt and sorrow over Jessica's end, noting if he'd just been a little faster, then he could have saved her.

"There, you see what you've done?" Noctis said in his best condescending tone. "Now Gladio's forever scarred over failing his duty."

Ignis didn't look the least bit sorry. "I'm certain he'll recover eventually."

"Gee, you sure are empathetic."

Ignis snorted. "I still feel more empathy towards Josh."

Noctis sighed. "…He's your favorite character, isn't he?"

Ignis tilted his head. "He's certainly the most intriguing, but the others all had their charms by the end." His lips turned up in a smirk. "Apart from Jessica, that is. I can't say I'm entirely certain why she was there in the first place. Seemed to be rather dead weight in the end."

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Now you're just being petty."

"Ah, apologies – I didn't intend to trod upon your preferred mentality."

Ouch. How did he always forget how savage Ignis could get?

Noctis' phone gave another buzz.

 **Gladio:** So… Ignis left you to be eaten, huh?

 **Gladio:** Guess he's so good a cook that he NOCT that wendigo out with the food he gave it.

 **Noctis:** GET OUT

 **Gladio:** Told you he was going to feed you to someone, but I was expecting a few more knives involved.

 **Gladio:** I guess you're more the finger food category, like broccoli and carrots.

 **Noctis:** I hate you

 **Gladio:** :Cucumber Emoji:

 **Noctis:** :Nauseated Emoji:

 **Gladio:** :Celery Emoji:

 **Noctis:** :Vomiting Emoji:

 **Gladio:** :Bean Emoji:

 **Noctis:** THAT'S NOT EVEN FINGER FOOD

 **Gladio:** :Crying While Laughing Emoji: Go to sleep Noct. You need it.

…Okay, he wasn't going to argue with that one. He and Ignis had definitely been up long enough.

"Hey, Ig–"

Noctis snapped his mouth shut as he looked up to find his friend already passed out with his head lolled on the armrest. If only Prompto had been here with his camera.

Noctis yawned, tossing his phone onto the empty space between them on the couch before curling up on his end. Ignis had the right idea. Way too much effort to move.

With his left ear pressed into the armrest, he couldn't even hear the game's subtle menu noise.

Life was going to be… different from now on. Probably harder for all of them, but at least some good had already come out of it.

They were going to be all right – _all_ of them.

Noctis took a last glance at the way Ignis' controller was hanging limply from one hand, and he smiled.

Maybe… maybe they could be even better than they were before.

* * *

 **Wellllll, friends, that's it for this one! Next up is the Nyx one-shot by my lovely beta. (ScribeOfRED). :) That should be up… soon. *glances at beta questioningly* Ahem. After that is the aftermath mini-shots (posted as one story), and then on to the real, full sequel! WOOHOO!**


End file.
